See a perusal copy of the music.
Hear a performance
A strong traditional song from Yorkshire, England, forecasting how a person's life on earth will affect their soul's journey after death. Lyke is an old word for a dead body, and a wake is the watching over a body before burial - traditionally a time of communal eating, drinking and singing. In this arrangement, treble voices in various combinations sing the verses, while the repeating sections are sung by the full chorus in simple and strong harmonies.
Words
This ay neet, this ay neet, any neet and all, Fire and fleet and candle leet, and Christ receive thy saule.
When thou from here away may'st pass, any neet and all, To Whinny Moor thou com'st at last, and Christ receive thy saule.
If thou ga'est ever hosen or shoon, any neet and all, Then sit ye doon and put them on, and Christ receive thy saule.
But if hosen or shoon thou ne'er ga'est nane, any neet and all, The whinnies shall prick thee to thy bare bane, and Christ receive thy saule.
When thou from here away may'st pass, any neet and all, To Brig o' Dread thou com'st at last, and Christ receive thy saule.
When thou from there away may'st pass, any neet and all, To Purgatory's fire thou com'st at last, and Christ receive thy saule.
If thou ga'est ever meat or drink, any neet and all, The fire shall never make thee shrink, and Christ receive thy saule.
But if meat nor drink thou ne'er ga'est nane, any neet and all, The fire shall burn thee to thy bare bane, and Christ receive thy saule.
This ay neet, this ay neet, any neet and all, Fire and fleet and candle leet, and Christ receive thy saule.
Traditional English
Glossary
ay — one, very ('this very night') bane — bone com'st — comes ('comest') doon — down ga'est — gave ('gavest') hosen — stockings leet — light lykewake — a watch over the dead, often with merry-making may'st — may ('mayest') nane — none neet — night Purgatory — where the souls of the dead are purged of their sins saule — soul fleet — house-room shoon — shoes whinny — gorse (very thorny)
Purchase – 2004: The Lyke Wake Dirge
Before you click the "buy" button, please enter the name of your group and select the appropriate size.
The price depends on the number of singers in your group.
This is a single payment for a licence to make as many copies as you
need for your group to rehearse and perform the song. You can also re-print
- for instance, to replace copies that get lost or worn out.
Copies must not be given, lent, hired or sold to any other group.
Orders are normally despatched within 24 hours - not
instantly, because each PDF file is created specially
for the purchaser.
Canasg sales are processed via Paypal. Paypal lets you pay with a simple
credit or debit card if you don’t have a Paypal account.
Your Paypal transaction will be in
sterling and it will be converted automatically if
your credit card draws on a different currency.
Paypal passes none of your secure information to Canasg.
If you would like us to send an invoice before you pay, or if you would like your order priced in $US or Euros,
then please e-mail your order to us instead of using the form above.
