“Drive the Cold Winter Away (In Praise of Christmas)”

Description

"All hail to the days that merit more praise Than all of the rest of the year...." The singer bids rejoicing come in for the Chritmas season. Various Christmas activities are detailed, each intended to "drive the cold winter away."

Supplemental text

Drive the Cold Winter Away (In Praise of Christmas)
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

Drive the Cold Winter Away

As printed by W. H. Logan, The Pedlar's Pack of Ballads and Songs,
pp. 293. "Reprinted from a Black Letter Copy in the Pepysian
Collection; 'Printed at  London by H. G.' -- [Henry Gosson.]"

All hail to the days that merit more praise
  Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
  As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend,
  That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

Let misery pack, with a whip at his back,
  To the deep Tantalian flood;
In Lethe profound, let Envy be drown'd,
  That pines at another man's good;
Let sorrow's expense be banded from hence,
  All payments have greater delay,
We'll spend the long nights in cheerful delights,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

'Tis ill for a mind to anger inclined,
  To think of small injuries now;
If wrath be to seek, do not lend her thy cheek,
  Nor let her inherit thy brow.
Cross out of thy books malevolent looks,
  Both beauty and youth's decay,
And wholly consort, with mirth and with sport,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

The Court in her state, now opens her gate,
  And gives a free welcome to most;
The city likewise, though somewhat precise,
  Doth willingly part with her roast;
But yet by report, from city and court,
  The country will e'er gain the day;
More liquor is spent, and with better content,
 To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

Our good gentry there, for cost do not spare,
  The Yeomanry fast not till Lent;
The farmers and such, think nothing too much,
  If they keep but to pay for their rent.
The poorest of all now do merrily call,
  When at a fit place they can stay,
For a song or a tale or a cup of good ale,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

Then none will allow of solitude now,
  But merrily greets the time,
To make it appear, of all the whole year,
  That this is accounted the prime;
December is seen, apparel'd in green,
  And January fresh as May
Comes dancing along, with a cup and a song,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

           THE SECOND PART

This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
  And neighbours together do meet,
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
  Each other in love to greet;
Old grudges forgot, are put in the pot,
  All sorrows aside they lay,
The old and the young do carol this song,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

Sisley and Nanny, more jocund than any,
  As blithe as the month of June,
Do carol and sing, like birds in the spring,
  No Nightingale sweeter in tune,
To bring in content, when summer is spent,
  In pleasant delight and play,
With mirth and good cheer, to end the whole year,
  And drive the cold winter away.
               And drive, &c.

The shepherd, the swain, do highly disdain
  To waste out their time in care,
And Clim of the Clough hath plenty enough,
  If he but a penny can spare
To spend at the night in joy and delight,
  Now after his labours all day,
For better than lands is the help of his hands,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

To mask and to mum kind neighbours will come,
  With wassels of nut-brown ale,
To drink and carouse, to all in the house,
  As merry as bucks in the dale;
Where cake, bread and cheese, is brought for your fees,
  To make you the longer stay
At the fire to warm, will do you no harm,
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

When Christmas's tide comes in like a bride,
  With holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year, much mirth and good cheer,
  In every household is had;
The country guise is then to devise
  Some gambols of Christmas play,
Whereat the young men do the best that they can
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

When white bearded frost has threatened the worst
  And fallen from branch to briar,
Then time away calls from husbandry halls,
  And from the good countryman's fire,
Together to go to plow and to sow,
  To get us both food and array,
And thus with content the time we have spent
  To drive the cold winter away.
               To drive, &c.

Notes

The Oxford Book of Carols credits the first two verses to D'Urfey. Though D'Urfey was the first to print these stanzas, the existence of the song in the Pepysian collection casts the usual doubts on these authorship claims. Playford also published the tune. - RBW

Same tune

• O fain would I marry/[Title missing] (BBI ZN2003)
• I often have known/The father hath beguil'd the sonne (BBI ZN1311)
• All you which lay clame/Hang Pinching (BBI ZN154)
• Come, come my brave gold/Gathergood the Father and Scattergood the son [missing title from Stat. Reg. Entry, Apr. 9, 1638] (BBI ZN569)
• Be merry, my hearts, and call for your quarts/A Health to all Good=Fellows (BBI ZN383)
• To all my good Friends these presents I send/A New Song, called Jacke Dove's Resolution (BBI ZN2630)

References

1. Logan, pp. 293-297, "Drive the Cold Winter Away" (1 text)
2. OBC 5, "The Praise of Christmas" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. BBI, ZN67, "All hayle to the dayes"
4. cf. Chappell/Wooldridge I, p. 173, (no title, but called "Drive the cold winter away" in the notes) (1 tune)
5. DT, DRIVCOLD ALLHAIL*
6. ST Log293 (Full)
7. BI, Log293