Dives and Lazarus

Dives and Lazarus

Words and Music: Traditional Child #056

(Tune also known as The Star of County Down)

Source: Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer, Christmas Carols New and Old, Second Series (London: Novello, Ewer & Co., 1871), Carol #39

1. As it fell out upon a day,

Rich Dives made a feast,

And he invited all his friends,

And gentry of the best.

2. Then Lazarus laid him down and down,

And down at Dives' door;

Some meat, some drink, brother Dives,

Bestow upon the poor.

3. Thou?rt none of my brother, Lazarus,

That lies begging at my door;

Nor meat nor drink will I give to thee,

Nor bestow upon the poor.

4. Then Lazarus laid him down and down

And down at Dives' wall;

Some meat, some drink, brother Dives,

Or with hunger starve I shall.

5. Thou'rt none of my brother, Lazarus,

That lies begging at my wall;

Nor meat nor drink will I give to thee,

But with hunger starve you shall.

6. Then Lazarus laid him down and down,

And down at Dives' gate;

Some meat, some drink, brother Dives,

For Jesus Christ his sake.

7. Thou'rt none of my brother, Lazarus,

That lies begging at my gate;

Nor meat nor drink will I give to thee,

For Jesus Christ His sake.

8. Then Dives sent out his merry men,

To whip poor Lazarus away;

They had no power to strike a stroke,

But flung their whips away.

9. Then Dives sent out his hungry dogs,

To bite him as he lay;

They had no power to bite at all,

But licked his sores away.

10. As it fell out upon a day,

Poor Lazarus sickened and died;

There came two Angels out of Heaven,

His soul therein to guide.

11. Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus,

And come along with me;

There's a place in Heaven prepared for thee,

To sit upon an Angel's knee.

12, As it fell out upon a day,

Rich Dives sickened and died;

There came two serpents out of Hell,

His soul therein to guide.

13. Rise up, rise up, brother Dives,

And come along with me;

There's a place in Hell prepared for thee,

To sit upon a serpent's knee.

14. Then Dives looked with burning eyes,

And saw poor Lazarus blest;

One drop of water, Lazarus,

To quench my flaming thirst! [1]

15. Oh I had I as many years to abide

As there are blades of grass,

Then there would be an end: but now

Hell's pains will never pass.

16. Oh! were I but alive again,

For the space of one halt hour,

I would make my peace and so secure

That the Devil should have no power!

Notes:

1. Husk gives the following for verse 14:

Then Dives, lifting his eyes to heaven,

And seeing poor Lazarus blest,

"Give me a drop of water, brother Lazarus,

To quench my flaming thirst." Return

Child Ballad #056

The Southern English ballad version of the story of Dives and Lazarus

"This song is also commonly sung to a variant now known widely as The Star of the Country Down" This is perhaps a little misleading and might benefit from qualification. The Star of the County Down is a composition of the early 20th century. The County Down lyric was written by Cathal McGarvey (who also wrote the words of The devil and bailiff McGlynn). He set his words to the old tune of Divers and Lazarus. This ancient tune Child Ballad #056 has also been used as a setting for the hymn, Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men and The Murder of Maria Marten (among others). The earliest known examples of the tune belonged to Gilderoy, but it has not been quite settled whether the tune is originally Scottish or English. Even though the melody is now most commonly called "The Star of the County Down", as I stated before, this is a recent innovation (last 50 years). This is due to the fact the Star of County Down has been recorded and distributed widely through commercial recordings and in Celtic circles. There are also many people who prefer a secular theme rather than a Christian one. No one can deny the tune is a very fine one. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS wrote an orchestral piece based on the tune known as Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" (1939) and it is extremely beautiful.

Recorded by The Young Tradition, June Tabor & The Oyster Band, Swan Arcade , Nic Jones, Polly Bolton and others.

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS wrote a piece based on the tune known as Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" (1939)

Joshua Sylvestre, Christmas Carols - Ancient and Modern (1861, reprinted A. Wessels Company, New York, 1901):

This carol, I believe, has not been given in any previous collection. It is reprinted here from an old Birmingham broadside. Hone appears to have met with it, and alludes to a quaint rendering of the thirteenth verse which occurred in his copy. The lines are:

"Rise up, rise up, brother Dives,

And come along with me,

For you've a place provided in hell

To sit upon a serpent's knee."

The idea of sitting on the serpent's knee was, perhaps conveyed to the poet's mind by old woodcut representations of Lazarus seated in Abraham's lap. More anciently, Abraham was frequently drawn holding him up by the sides that he might be the better seen by Dives in the fiery pit.

Note that Hugh Keyte, an editor of The New Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992) believes that "Joshua Sylvestre" is a pseudonym for a collaboration between William Sandys (1792-1874) and William Henry Husk (1814-1887). See Appendix 4.

William Henry Husk, Songs of the Nativity (London: John Camden Hotten, 1868):

This carol is included in Hone's list of carols in his possession which were in use at the period he wrote -- 1822; but it was never printed in any collection until 1860 [Sylvestre?]. Hone speaks of the ludicrous effect produced by the thirteenth verse, "when the meter of the last line is solemnly drawn out to its utmost length by a Warwickshire chanter, and as solemnly listened to by the well-disposed crown, who see, without difficulty, to believe that Dives sits on a serpent's knee."

"The idea of sitting on the knee," he adds, "was perhaps conveyed to the poet's mind by old woodcut representations of Lazarus seated in Abraham's lap. More anciently, Abraham was frequently drawn holding him up by the sides, to be seen by Dives in hell. In an old book (Postilla Guillermi, 4to, Basil, 1491) they are so represented, with the addition of a devil blowing the fire under Dives with a pair of bellows." The idea may have been conveyed to the writer's mind, as Hone suggests, or it may be that the serpent's knee was only thought of as antithetical to the Angel's knee on which Lazarus was to rest.

The carol is now given from a sheet copy printed at Worcester in the last century. The composition is much in the style of a sixteenth century ballad, but the last verse conveys an idea of greater antiquity, as it seems to give expression to the opinion that the devotion of worldly goods to pious or charitable uses sufficed to avert future punishment. There can be little, if any, doubt of this being the piece referred to in Fletcher's comedy of "Monsieur Thomas," where a fiddler is introduced, enumerating the songs he can sing, amongst which is "the merry ballad of Dives and Lazarus."

Editor's Note: The version given by Bramley and Stainer has largely appropriated that older verse. The 13th verse given by Sylvester is:

Rise up, rise up, brother Dives,

And go with us to see

A dismal place prepared in hell,

From which thou canst not flee.

Aside from this difference, the version given by Bramley and Stainer largely tracks with that given by Sylvester.

Dives and Lazarus

As it fell out upon one day

Rich Dives made a feast

And he invited all his friends

And gentry of the best

Then Lazarus laid him down and down

And down at Dives' door

"Some meat, some drink, brother Dives

Bestow upon the poor."

"Thou are none of mine, brother Lazarus,

That lies begging at my door

No meat nor drink I'll give to thee,

Nor none I'll bestow on the poor."

Then Lazarus laid him down and down

And down at Dives' wall

"Some meat, some drink, brother Dives

Or with hunger starve I shall."

"Thou are none of mine, brother Lazarus,

That lies begging at my wall

No meat nor drink I'll give to thee,

But with hunger starve you shall."

Then Lazarus laid him down and down

And down at Dives' gate

"Some meat, some drink, brother Dives

For Jesus Christ his sake."

"Thou are none of mine, brother Lazarus,

That lies begging at my gate

No meat nor drink I'll give to thee,

For Jesus Christ his sake."

Then Dives sent out his merry men

To whip poor Lazarus away,

But they had no power to strike one stroke,

And threw their whips away.

Then Dives sent his hungry dogs

To worry poor Lazarus away,

But the had no power to bite one bite

So they licked his sores away.

As it fell out upon one day

Poor Lazarus he sickened and died.

There came two angels out of heaven,

His soul there to guide.

"Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus,

And come along with me;

For there's a place in heaven provided,

To sit upon an angel's knee."

As it fell out upon one day

That Dives sickened and died.

There came two serpents out of hell,

His soul there to guide.

"Rise up, rise up, brother Dives,

And come along with me;

For there's a place in hell provided,

To sit upon a serpent's knee."

Then Dives lifted up his eyes

And saw poor Lazarus blest:

"A drop of water, brother Lazarus,

For to quench my flaming thirst."

"If I had as many years to live

As there is blades of grass

I would make it in my will secure

That the devil should have no power.

Oh, hell is dark, oh, hell is deep;

Oh hell is full of mice,

It is a pity that any poor sinful soul

Should depart from our saviour, Christ."

And now my carol's ended,

No longer can I stay.

God bless you all, both great and small,

And God send you a happy New Year"

Folk Music Index

From Jesus's Parable of the rich man and Lazarus is found in Luke 16:19-31.

'Feuch air fear coimhead Israil

Cadal chan aom no suain.'

(The Shepherd that keeps Israel, He slumbers not nor sleeps.)

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	Dives and Lazarus Words and Music: Traditional Child #056 (Tune also known as The Star of County Down) Source: Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer, Christmas Carols New and Old, Second Series (London: Novello, Ewer & Co., 1871), Carol #39 1. As it fell out upon a day, Rich Dives made a feast, And he invited all his friends, And gentry of the best. 2. Then Lazarus laid him down and down, And down at Dives' door; Some meat, some drink, brother Dives, Bestow upon the poor. 3. Thou?rt none of my brother, Lazarus, That lies begging at my door; Nor meat nor drink will I give to thee, Nor bestow upon the poor. 4. Then Lazarus laid him down and down And down at Dives' wall; Some meat, some drink, brother Dives, Or with hunger starve I shall. 5. Thou'rt none of my brother, Lazarus, That lies begging at my wall; Nor meat nor drink will I give to thee, But with hunger starve you shall. 6. Then Lazarus laid him down and down, And down at Dives' gate; Some meat, some drink, brother Dives, For Jesus Christ his sake. 7. Thou'rt none of my brother, Lazarus, That lies begging at my gate; Nor meat nor drink will I give to thee, For Jesus Christ His sake. 8. Then Dives sent out his merry men, To whip poor Lazarus away; They had no power to strike a stroke, But flung their whips away. 9. Then Dives sent out his hungry dogs, To bite him as he lay; They had no power to bite at all, But licked his sores away. 10. As it fell out upon a day, Poor Lazarus sickened and died; There came two Angels out of Heaven, His soul therein to guide. 11. Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus, And come along with me; There's a place in Heaven prepared for thee, To sit upon an Angel's knee. 12, As it fell out upon a day, Rich Dives sickened and died; There came two serpents out of Hell, His soul therein to guide. 13. Rise up, rise up, brother Dives, And come along with me; There's a place in Hell prepared for thee, To sit upon a serpent's knee. 14. Then Dives looked with burning eyes, And saw poor Lazarus blest; One drop of water, Lazarus, To quench my flaming thirst! [1] 15. Oh I had I as many years to abide As there are blades of grass, Then there would be an end: but now Hell's pains will never pass. 16. Oh! were I but alive again, For the space of one halt hour, I would make my peace and so secure That the Devil should have no power! Notes: 1. Husk gives the following for verse 14: Then Dives, lifting his eyes to heaven, And seeing poor Lazarus blest, "Give me a drop of water, brother Lazarus, To quench my flaming thirst." Return Child Ballad #056 The Southern English ballad version of the story of Dives and Lazarus "This song is also commonly sung to a variant now known widely as The Star of the Country Down" This is perhaps a little misleading and might benefit from qualification. The Star of the County Down is a composition of the early 20th century. The County Down lyric was written by Cathal McGarvey (who also wrote the words of The devil and bailiff McGlynn). He set his words to the old tune of Divers and Lazarus. This ancient tune Child Ballad #056 has also been used as a setting for the hymn, Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men and The Murder of Maria Marten (among others). The earliest known examples of the tune belonged to Gilderoy, but it has not been quite settled whether the tune is originally Scottish or English. Even though the melody is now most commonly called "The Star of the County Down", as I stated before, this is a recent innovation (last 50 years). This is due to the fact the Star of County Down has been recorded and distributed widely through commercial recordings and in Celtic circles. There are also many people who prefer a secular theme rather than a Christian one. No one can deny the tune is a very fine one. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS wrote an orchestral piece based on the tune known as Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" (1939) and it is extremely beautiful. Recorded by The Young Tradition, June Tabor & The Oyster Band, Swan Arcade , Nic Jones, Polly Bolton and others. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS wrote a piece based on the tune known as Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" (1939) Joshua Sylvestre, Christmas Carols - Ancient and Modern (1861, reprinted A. Wessels Company, New York, 1901): This carol, I believe, has not been given in any previous collection. It is reprinted here from an old Birmingham broadside. Hone appears to have met with it, and alludes to a quaint rendering of the thirteenth verse which occurred in his copy. The lines are: "Rise up, rise up, brother Dives, And come along with me, For you've a place provided in hell To sit upon a serpent's knee." The idea of sitting on the serpent's knee was, perhaps conveyed to the poet's mind by old woodcut representations of Lazarus seated in Abraham's lap. More anciently, Abraham was frequently drawn holding him up by the sides that he might be the better seen by Dives in the fiery pit. Note that Hugh Keyte, an editor of The New Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992) believes that "Joshua Sylvestre" is a pseudonym for a collaboration between William Sandys (1792-1874) and William Henry Husk (1814-1887). See Appendix 4. William Henry Husk, Songs of the Nativity (London: John Camden Hotten, 1868): This carol is included in Hone's list of carols in his possession which were in use at the period he wrote -- 1822; but it was never printed in any collection until 1860 [Sylvestre?]. Hone speaks of the ludicrous effect produced by the thirteenth verse, "when the meter of the last line is solemnly drawn out to its utmost length by a Warwickshire chanter, and as solemnly listened to by the well-disposed crown, who see, without difficulty, to believe that Dives sits on a serpent's knee." "The idea of sitting on the knee," he adds, "was perhaps conveyed to the poet's mind by old woodcut representations of Lazarus seated in Abraham's lap. More anciently, Abraham was frequently drawn holding him up by the sides, to be seen by Dives in hell. In an old book (Postilla Guillermi, 4to, Basil, 1491) they are so represented, with the addition of a devil blowing the fire under Dives with a pair of bellows." The idea may have been conveyed to the writer's mind, as Hone suggests, or it may be that the serpent's knee was only thought of as antithetical to the Angel's knee on which Lazarus was to rest. The carol is now given from a sheet copy printed at Worcester in the last century. The composition is much in the style of a sixteenth century ballad, but the last verse conveys an idea of greater antiquity, as it seems to give expression to the opinion that the devotion of worldly goods to pious or charitable uses sufficed to avert future punishment. There can be little, if any, doubt of this being the piece referred to in Fletcher's comedy of "Monsieur Thomas," where a fiddler is introduced, enumerating the songs he can sing, amongst which is "the merry ballad of Dives and Lazarus." Editor's Note: The version given by Bramley and Stainer has largely appropriated that older verse. The 13th verse given by Sylvester is: Rise up, rise up, brother Dives, And go with us to see A dismal place prepared in hell, From which thou canst not flee. Aside from this difference, the version given by Bramley and Stainer largely tracks with that given by Sylvester. Dives and Lazarus As it fell out upon one day Rich Dives made a feast And he invited all his friends And gentry of the best Then Lazarus laid him down and down And down at Dives' door "Some meat, some drink, brother Dives Bestow upon the poor." "Thou are none of mine, brother Lazarus, That lies begging at my door No meat nor drink I'll give to thee, Nor none I'll bestow on the poor." Then Lazarus laid him down and down And down at Dives' wall "Some meat, some drink, brother Dives Or with hunger starve I shall." "Thou are none of mine, brother Lazarus, That lies begging at my wall No meat nor drink I'll give to thee, But with hunger starve you shall." Then Lazarus laid him down and down And down at Dives' gate "Some meat, some drink, brother Dives For Jesus Christ his sake." "Thou are none of mine, brother Lazarus, That lies begging at my gate No meat nor drink I'll give to thee, For Jesus Christ his sake." Then Dives sent out his merry men To whip poor Lazarus away, But they had no power to strike one stroke, And threw their whips away. Then Dives sent his hungry dogs To worry poor Lazarus away, But the had no power to bite one bite So they licked his sores away. As it fell out upon one day Poor Lazarus he sickened and died. There came two angels out of heaven, His soul there to guide. "Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus, And come along with me; For there's a place in heaven provided, To sit upon an angel's knee." As it fell out upon one day That Dives sickened and died. There came two serpents out of hell, His soul there to guide. "Rise up, rise up, brother Dives, And come along with me; For there's a place in hell provided, To sit upon a serpent's knee." Then Dives lifted up his eyes And saw poor Lazarus blest: "A drop of water, brother Lazarus, For to quench my flaming thirst." "If I had as many years to live As there is blades of grass I would make it in my will secure That the devil should have no power. Oh, hell is dark, oh, hell is deep; Oh hell is full of mice, It is a pity that any poor sinful soul Should depart from our saviour, Christ." And now my carol's ended, No longer can I stay. God bless you all, both great and small, And God send you a happy New Year" Folk Music Index From Jesus's Parable of the rich man and Lazarus is found in Luke 16:19-31. 'Feuch air fear coimhead Israil Cadal chan aom no suain.' (The Shepherd that keeps Israel, He slumbers not nor sleeps.) Christian Thought Blessings Beth Boyle's Prayer Beads Carols HOME