We Wish you a Merry Christmas

Carol, England (UK).

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is a traditional English 16th century carol and the only one amongst traditional holiday carols that makes a reference to the celebration of the New Year.

This is quite often the last carol sung on Christmas Eve, so carolers wish the best for all the celebrations during this Season’s Holidays.

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Contents

Sing-Along Video with Lyrics

Lyrics

1. We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2. Oh, bring us a figgy pudding,
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding,
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!

3. We won’t go until we get some,
We won’t go until we get some,
We won’t go until we get some, so bring some out here.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!

4. We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Free karaoke MP3 download

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“We wish you a Merry Christmas” free instrumental mp3 download (instrumental, 1:37 – 6/8 – bpm)

Song

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Song History

The origins of the famous Christmas carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” can be traced back to England. The exact date and authorship of its creations are unclear, though it is generally believed to have come into existence sometime between the 16th and 19th centuries and is distinct in terms of its longevity compared to other carols. The carol first began its rise to popularity in 1935, and it can be induced that it is relatively new compared to other traditional carols as it is not mentioned in historical texts pertaining to such.

The intent of the song, in addition to recognizing the Christmas holiday, is to humorously harass the person or household you are singing the carol to (traditionally on Christmas Eve) in order to convince them to give you some type of gift to stop.

The lyrics of the song are satirical in nature and remind us of an era when, according to the English tradition, poor carolers would sing to the wealthier members of the community for treats, and wouldn’t leave their doorsteps until they got what they received those treats, thus making the Victorian English upper class call them “waits”.

The singers kindly greet the landlord with the opening line. However, there’s space for humour, as carolers shamelessly ask for figgy pudding “right here” – a demand which consequently means those lyrics should be sung in a teasing tone.

Figgy pudding is a traditional English Christmas dessert similar to American Christmas pudding. According to several sources, in the West Country of England “figgy pudding” was a raisin or plum pudding, not necessarily one containing figs.

The tune remains popular to this day and as such has been performed by a diverse, global array of popular artists in addition to being standard during Christmastime in churches, symphonies and amongst common carolers.