The Cleveland Lyke Wake Dirge

Traditional Yorkshire
(Pentangle)

This ae night, this ae night,
     Every nighte and all;
Fire and sleet and candle-lighte;
     And Christe receive thy saule.

(Future verses all repeat burdens)

When thou from hence away art past,
To Whinny-muir thou com'st at last;

If ever thou gav'st hosen and shoon
Sit thee down and put them on;

If hosen and shoon thou ne'er gav'st nane
The whinnes sall pick thee to the bare bane;

From Whinny-muir when thou may'st pass,
To Brig o' Dread thou com'st at last;

If ever thou gave of thy silver and gold,
At Brig o' Dread thou'lt find foothold;

If silver or gold thou ne'er gavest nane,
Thou'lt tumble down towards Hell's flame;

From Brig o' Dread when thou may'st pass,
To Purgatory fire thou com'st at last;

If ever thou gav'st meat or drink,
The fire sall never make thee shrink;

If meat or drink thou ne'er gav'st nane,
The fire will burn thee to the bare bane.

This ae night, this ae night,
     Every nighte and all;
Fire and sleet and candle-lighte;
     And Christe receive thy saule.


From "The English Ballad" by Robert Graves; he got it from Sir
Walter Scott's "Border Minstrelsy" with two verses from
Blakeborough's "Wit, Character, Folklore and Customs of the North
Riding."  This song continued to be sung over corpses in remote
parts of Yorkshire until about 1800.  Whinnymuir is an actual
moor in the Cleveland district.  'Sleet' is probably a corruption
of 'selte,' i.e. salt, which it was customary to lay in a platter
on the breast of the corpse.  'Ae' = one.  'Brig' = bridge.