In which I share a song for the season: sing along with it!

The song "Soul Cakes" was originally a song that English children would sing as they went around on All Hallows' Eve (aka Hallowe'en), asking the neighbors to give them sweets. In 1963 musician Noel Paul Stookey, known to the world as the middle guy in the group "Peter, Paul and Mary" was messing around with the tune and realized that it blended well with two other British folk tunes: a wassailing tune and "God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen."

There's a link at the bottom of the page to an awesome video of PPM singing the song.


A Soalin'

Hey ho, nobody home
Meat nor drink nor money, have I none
Yet shall we be merry
Hey ho, nobody home

Hey ho, nobody home
(Meat nor drink nor money, have I none)
Yet shall we be merry
Hey ho, nobody home
Hey ho, nobody home

Soal, a soal, a soal cake, please, good missus a soul cake
An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
Any good thing to make us all merry
One for Peter, two for Paul, three for Him who made us all

God bless the master of this house and the mistress also
And all the little children that round your table grow
The cattle in your stable, the dog by your front door
And all that dwell within your gates, we wish you ten times more

Soal, a soal, a soal cake, please, good missus a soul cake
Apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
Any good thing to make us all merry
One for Peter, two for Paul, three for Him who made us all

Go down into the cellar and see what you can find
If the barrels are not empty, we hope you will be kind
We hope you will be kind with your apple and strawber'
For we'll come no more a 'Soalin'' till this time next year

Soal, a soal, a soal cake, please, good missus a soul cake
Apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
Any good thing to make us all merry
One for Peter, two for Paul, three for Him who made us all

The streets are very dirty, my shoes are very thin
I have a little pocket to put a penny in
If you haven't got a penny, a ha' penny will do
If you haven't got a ha' penny then God bless you

Soal, a soal, a soal cake, please, good missus a soul cake
Apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
Any good thing to make us all merry
One for Peter, two for Paul, three for Him who made us all

Now to the Lord, sing praises all you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood, each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas of beauty and of grace
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy