Music To Drink By

Friday afternoon I got to the NYPL (the branch with the lions) with a scant hour to spare, but since I knew what I was looking for, it turned out to be all the time I needed.      George Whicher's "The Goliard Poets" has words to three of the four "Carmina Burana" songs I use in the filking class.    He wrote his own English rhymes (which mostly scan) based on his translation from the Latin, but the book does not contain a literal translation.     I think his words were more meant to be read than sung, so I'm doing a little tweak here and there.      

I'm including lyrics for five songs in a handout for the feast tables--please feel free to assume I REEEEEEALLY don't want to sing any of these alone.    If we don't get to all five during dinner, we can bring the handouts to the Bardic Circle later.      The two I most want to do during feast are "The Little Barley-corn" and "Bacche Bene Venies".     "Bring Us In Good Ale" is one Sing Thing singers might remember, and "In Taberna" is just a really easy melody.      

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( 'Bacche Bene Venies' and 'The Little Barley-corne' )

ETA:    Aaaaaaaaaaand...here are a couple of links to mp3 samples from Amazon: 

For "Bacche Bene Venies":
http://www.amazon.com/Bacche-Bene-Venies/dp/B002E5UR8O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1283713118&sr=1-4

For "Stingo", the tune for "The Little Barley-corne":

http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Barleycorn-Stingo/dp/B002T3NCB0/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1283713716&sr=1-14

More Music To Drink By

IN TAVERNA   ("In the Tavern")

(Original Latin lyrics from "Carmina Burana", circa 12th Century--abridged from 7 verses)
Partly adapted from George Whicher's English verse by Judith Fitzhenry

In the tavern when we drink, we care not what the world may think.
We set out for drink and dicing--of all sports the most enticing.
Would you glance at our hijinks where our coin pours out the drinks?
Would you have that scene unfurled? Hark to me, I'll tell the world.

As we play and drink, my friends, we burn the candle at both ends.
Of those who drink and play the game, some will lose and mourn the same.
Some add garments on their backs, some will end up dressed in sacks,
All thought else each man postpones when for the drinks we roll the bones.

The mistress drinks and so the master, maid and servant drinking faster,
Man and woman drinking both, so priest and soldier, by my troth,
Black men, white men drink it down, fast and slow men hit the town,
Men drink at home and when abroad, scholar too and foolish clod.

Fathers drink and so do mothers, sisters drink and so do brothers,
All are drinking without measure, All in drinking find their pleasure.
All who treat these thirsty folk will by dawn be stony broke.
What care we what others think? We drink and drink and drink and drink!
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BRING  US IN GOOD ALE  (a 15th-century drinking song)
Abridged from many verses

CHORUS:    Bring us in good ale, good ale, and brink us in good ale,   
                       For our Blessed Lady's sake, bring us in good ale!

1)   Bring us in no beef, for there is many bones,
       But bring us in good ale, for that goeth down at once.    BUT...

CHORUS

2)   Bring us in no brown bread, for that is made of bran,
       Nor bring us in no white bread, for therein is no grain.    BUT...

CHORUS

3)   Bring us in no bacon, for that is passing fat,
       But bring us in good ale, and give us enough of that.   BUT...

CHORUS

4)   Bring us in no mutton, for that is passing lean,
       Nor bring us in no tripes, for they be seldom clean.     BUT...

CHORUS

5)   Bring us in no eggs, for there are many shells,
       But bring us in good ale, AND GIVE US NOTHING ELSE!!    SO...

CHORUS

ETA:    Sample link for "In Taberna Quando Sumus"   (sifting through the 20th-century music ticks me orff   8)
http://www.amazon.com/In-Taberna-Quando-Sumus/dp/B002DUKFB4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1283714793&sr=1-7

And a sample for "Bring Us In Good Ale" :
http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Us-in-Good-Ale/dp/B0014AZQUY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1283715582&sr=1-5