The Pace-Egging Song

Lyrics

1
Here’s three or four jovial lads all in one mind,
We’ve come a pace-eggin’, we hope you’ll prove kind,
We hope you’ll prove kind with eggs, brass and strong beer,
And we’ll come no more at you until the next year.

Chorus
Fol-the-day, Fol-the-day,
Fol-the-diddle-day-i-o.

2
’Ere stands the ould miser with ’is baskets and bags,
For fear of ’is money ’e wears ’is ould rags,
’E wears ’is ould rags with eggs, brass and strong beer,
And we’ll come no more at you until the next year.

3
Go down in your cellar and there you will find
Your barrel’s not empty, we hope you’ll prove kind,
We hope you’ll prove kind with eggs, brass and strong beer,
And we’ll come no more at you until the next year.

4
Now eggs are not scarce and they are not so dear,
If you’ll give us a pace-egg we’ll wish you good cheer,
If you give us some money, like jovial lads free,
We’ll treeat all your lasses on Easter Monday.

5
Now Easter is comin’, that’s all for this year,
We’ll pray for your childer and wish them good cheer,
So mind what you’re doin’ and see that you’re right.
If you give us nowt we’ll tae nowt, farewell and goodnight.

This is a traditional song

Provenance

Versions of this song, more often attached to the Easter St George mumming play, are widespread in the West Riding and Lancashire. They spread south into Cheshire where they merge in with the Soul-Cakers’ Song of All Souls Day, and over the north west Yorkshire border into Westmoreland. They are also found in the Furness area of Cumberland. In Yorkshire they are mainly found in the Yorkshire Dales, particularly in the Calder Valley, but the song has been found as far east as into the East Riding.

Will told us that the local source for the song, Arthur Howard, learnt the song from his older brother, James, who used to go from house to house in the village singing the song to get eggs and money. He usually dressed up and carried a drum to beat. Will was not aware of any pace-egg play in the area. The song had an alternative title ‘Holme Woods Song’. Dwellings known as Holme Woods existed to the south of Holme but were cleared when the Brownhill Reservoir was built in the 1920s. Songs are sometimes attached to particular places in this area as with Holmfirth Anthem TYG55 and Castle Hill Anthem TYG51.

The fact that Will’s tune and chorus are more closely related to Cheshire versions than the usual West Riding versions famous in the Calder Valley is not surprising as the Cheshire border used to come almost up to the top of the Holme Valley.