Please to See the King

1. Joy, health, love, and peace
   be all here in this place
   By your leave, we will sing
   concerning our King.
   
2. Our King is well dressed,
   in silks of the best
   In ribbons so rare,
   no king can compare.
   
3. We have traveled many miles,
   over hedges and stiles
   In search of our King,
   unto you we bring.
   
4. Old Christmas is past,
   Twelfth Night is the last
   And we bid you adieu,
   great joy to the new.
   

Summer Version

1. Joy, health, love and peace
   Be all here in this place
   By your leave we will sing
   Concerning our king.
   
2. Our king is well dressed
   In the silks of the best
   In ribbons so rare
   No king can compare.
   
3. We have travelled many miles
   Over hedges and stiles
   In search of our king
   Unto you we bring.
   
4. We have powder and shot
   To conquer the lot
   We have cannon and ball
   To conquer them all.
   
5. Oh May Day is past
   Mid summer is here at last
   And we bid you adieu
   Great joy the season through.
   

The king was the wren. The wren was the king of the birds. In ancient religions the king was sacrificed every seven years for the fertility and good of the tribe. In some places (Ireland) the queen was royal and married new consorts to be sacrificed. The consort was treated well for seven years (or one year) and then sacrificed by the new consort. A wren was killed and dressed up in ribbons, etc. and carried around the village. This is from Pembrokeshire in South Wales, commemorating the wren- killing on St. Steven's Day, Dec 26. Old Christmas, still celebrated rather than December 25, is Twelfth Night.

Recorded by Steeleye Span on Please to See the King; by Carthy and Swarbrick on Prince Heathen