We wish you a Merry Christmas - wikipedia We wish you a Merry Christmas For other uses, see We Wish You a Merry Christmas ( disambiguation ). We Wish You a Merry Christmas Genre Christmas Language English Instrumental version of Kevin MacLeod `` We Wish You a Merry Christmas '' is a popular English Christmas carol from the West Country of England. Contents 1 History 1.1 Origin 2 Lyrics 2.1 Version 1 2.2 Version 3 2.3 Version 4 3 See also 4 References History The Bristol - based composer, conductor and organist Arthur Warrell is responsible for the popularity of the carol. Warrell arranged the tune for his own University of Bristol Madrigal Singers, and performed it with them in concert on December 6, 1935. That same year, his elaborate four - part arrangement was published by Oxford University Press, under the title `` A Merry Christmas : West Country traditional song ''. Warrell 's arrangement is notable for using `` I '' instead of `` we '' in the words ; the first line is `` I wish you a Merry Christmas ''. It was subsequently republished in the collection Carols for Choirs ( 1961 ), and remains widely performed. The earlier history of the carol is unclear. It is absent from the collections of West - countrymen Davies Gilbert ( 1822 and 1823 ) and William Sandys ( 1833 ), as well as from the great anthologies of Sylvester ( 1861 ) and Husk ( 1864 ). It is also missing from The Oxford Book of Carols ( 1928 ). In the comprehensive New Oxford Book of Carols ( 1992 ), editors Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott describe it as `` English traditional '' and `` ( t ) he remnant of an envoie much used by wassailers and other luck visitors '' ; no source or date is given. Origin The greeting `` a merry Christmas and a happy New Year '' is recorded from the early eighteenth century. The English custom of performing inside or outside homes in return for food and drink is illustrated in the short story The Christmas Mummers ( 1858 ) by Charlotte Yonge, in which a group of boys run to a farmer 's door and sing : I wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year, A pantryful of good roast - beef, And barrels full of beer. After they are allowed in and perform a Mummers play, the boys are served beer by the farmer 's maid. Another example is recorded in 1883, from the villages of Burford, Church Stretton and Worthen in the English county of Shropshire : I wish you a merry Christmas, a happy New Year, A pocket full of money, and a cellar full of beer ; A good fat pig to last you all the year. Please to give me a New Year 's gift. The origin of this Christmas carol lies in the English tradition wherein wealthy people of the community gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve, such as `` figgy pudding '' that was very much like modern - day Christmas puddings. A variety of nineteenth - century sources state that, in the West Country of England, `` figgy pudding '' referred to a raisin or plum pudding, not necessarily one containing figs. Lyrics We wish you a merry Christmas, We wish you a merry Christmas, We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year. Good tidings we bring To you and your kin ; We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year ! Oh, bring us some figgy pudding, Oh, bring us some figgy pudding, Oh, bring us some figgy pudding, And bring it right here. Good tidings we bring To you and your kin ; We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year ! We wo n't go till we get some, We wo n't go till we get some, We wo n't go till we get some, So bring it right here. Good tidings we bring To you and your kin ; We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year ! We all like our figgy pudding, We all like our figgy pudding, We all like our figgy pudding, With all its good cheers Good tidings we bring To you and your kin We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year. We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year ! Version 1 Chorus : We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New Year ! Good tidings we bring To you and your kin We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New Year ! We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New Year ! ( Some versions use `` glad tidings '' instead of `` good tidings '' ) Now bring us some figgy pudding, Now bring us some figgy pudding, Now bring us some figgy pudding, And bring some out here REFRAIN For we all like figgy pudding, We all like figgy pudding, For we all like figgy pudding, So bring some out here REFRAIN And we wo n't go until we 've got some We wo n't go until we 've got some We wo n't go until we 've got some So bring some out here REFRAIN Version 3 We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. REFRAIN Good tidings we bring for you and your kin, Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year. Oh bring us some figgy pudding ( x3 ) and bring it right here. REFRAIN And we wo n't go until we 've got some ( x3 ) so bring some out here. REFRAIN It 's a season for music ( x3 ) and a time of good Cheer. REFRAIN Version 4 We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. REFRAIN Good tidings to you, where ever you are Good Tidings at Christmas and a Happy New Year ( The first line of the refrain can also be rendered as `` Good tidings we bring, to you of good cheer '' ) Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring us some figgy pudding and bring it right here REFRAIN now bring some tea and breakfast now bring some tea and breakfast now bring some tea and breakfast and bring it right here REFRAIN Christmas time is coming, Christmas time is coming Christmas time is coming It soon will be here REFRAIN See also List of Christmas carols Christmas carol Christmas music References Jump up ^ Arthur Sydney Warrell, born Farmborough, 1883, died Bristol, 1939. Served as organist and choirmaster and several Bristol churches. Subsequently taught music at Bristol University and founded the Bristol University Choir, Orchestra, and Madrigal Singers. See Humphreys, Maggie ; Robert Evans ( 1997 ). Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland. London : Mansell. p. 351. ISBN 0 - 7201 - 2330 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Music and Drama ''. Western Daily Press and Bristol Mirror. Bristol. 154 ( 25,920 ) : 4. 1935 - 12 - 06. Jump up ^ Warrell, Arthur ( arr. ) ( 1935 ). A Merry Christmas. London : Oxford University Press. ISBN 019340530X. Jump up ^ In the Carols for Choirs reprint, but not in the 1935 original, the option of replacing `` I wish you a Merry Christmas '' by the more common `` We wish you a Merry Christmas '' is given Jump up ^ Gilbert, Davies ( 1822 ). Some ancient Christmas Carols, with the Tunes to which they were formerly sung in the West of England ( PDF ). London : J. Nichols and Son. Jump up ^ Sandys, William ( 1833 ). Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern. London : Richard Beckley. Jump up ^ Sylvester, Joshua ( ed. ) ( 1861 ). A Garland of Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern. London : John Camden Hotten. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Husk, William Henry ( ed. ) Songs of the Nativity, London : John Camden Hotten, 1864. Jump up ^ Keyte, Hugh ; Parrott, Andrew, eds. ( 1992 ). The New Oxford Book of Carols. Oxford : Oxford University Press. p. 529. Jump up ^ `` a merry X'mas and a happy New Year '', letter of Samuel Goodman dated December 20th 1710, in Letters to Fort St. George : vol. xii ( 1711 ). Madras : Government Press. 1931. p. 3. Jump up ^ Yonge, Charlotte ( 1858 ). The Christmas Mummers. London : Mozley. p. 87. Jump up ^ Yonge, Charlotte ( 1858 ). The Christmas Mummers. London : Mozley. p. 93. Jump up ^ Burne, Charlotte Sophia ( ed. ) ( 1883 ). Shropshire Folk - Lore. London : Trübner & Co. p. 317. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Brech, Lewis ( 2010 ). `` Storybook Advent Carols Collection Songbook ''. p. 48. Couples Company, Inc, Jump up ^ Lester, Meera ( 2007 ). `` Why Does Santa Wear Red ? : And 100 Other Christmas Curiousities Unwrapped '' p. 146. Adams Media, Jump up ^ `` We Wish You a Merry Christmas ! - Christmas Songs of England ''. Retrieved December 11, 2010 Jump up ^ `` A ' figgy pudding ' ; a pudding with raisins in it ; a plum pudding '', from `` Devonshire and Cornwall Vocabulary '', The Monthly Magazine vol. 29 / 6, no. 199, June 1, 1810. p. 435 Jump up ^ `` Plum - pudding and plum - cake are universally called figgy pudding and figgy cake in Devonshire '', from Lady, A ( 1837 ). A dialogue in the Devonshire dialect, by a lady : to which is added a glossary, by J.F. Palmer. London : Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman. p. 46. Jump up ^ `` Figgy Pudding... the ordinary name for plum - pudding. Also a baked batter pudding with raisins in it '', Elworthy, Frederic Thomas ( 1875 ). The Dialect of West Somerset. London : Trübner & Co. p. 252. Jump up ^ e.g., http://michaelkravchuk.com/free-lead-sheet-merry-christmas/ ; accessed 2015 - 12 - 09 Christmas Christmas Eve Children 's Day Boxing Day Nochebuena Saint Nicholas Day St. Stephen 's Day Sol Invictus Yule In Christianity Biblical Magi Adoration of the Magi Adoration of the Shepherds Advent Angel Gabriel Annunciation Annunciation to the shepherds Baptism of the Lord Bethlehem Christingle Christmastide Epiphany Herod the Great Jesus Joseph Mary Massacre of the Innocents flight into Egypt Nativity Fast Nativity of Jesus in art in later culture Nativity scene Saint Nicholas Star of Bethlehem Twelfth Night In folklore Badalisc La Befana Belsnickel Caganer Christkind Ded Moroz Elves Father Christmas Grýla Jack Frost Joulupukki Knecht Ruprecht Korvatunturi Krampus Mikulás Miner 's figure Mrs. Claus Nisse / Tomte North Pole Old Man Winter Olentzero Père Fouettard Père Noël Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer Saint Lucy Santa 's reindeer Santa 's workshop Sinterklaas Tió de Nadal Vertep Yule Cat Yule Lads Zwarte Piet Gift - bringers Saint Nicholas Santa Claus List of Christmas gift - bringers by country Traditions Advent calendar Advent candle Advent wreath Boar 's Head Feast Candle arches Cards Carols by Candlelight Cavalcade of Magi Crackers Decorations Events and celebrations Feast of the Seven Fishes Flying Santa Google Santa Tracker Hampers Las Posadas Letters Lights Markets Meals and feasts Moravian star Nine Lessons and Carols NORAD Tracks Santa Nutcrackers dolls Ornaments Parades list Piñatas Pyramids Räuchermann Seals Secret Santa Spanbaum Stamps Stockings Tree Twelve Days Wassailing Windows Yule Goat Yule log By country Australia and New Zealand Denmark Germany Hawaii Hungary Iceland Indonesia Ireland Mexico Norway Philippines Poland Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Sweden Ukraine Music Carols list Hit singles UK Hit singles US Music books Carols for Choirs The Oxford Book of Carols The New Oxford Book of Carols Piae Cantiones Other media Films Poetry `` Old Santeclaus with Much Delight '' `` A Visit from St. Nicholas '' Television specials Yule Log In modern society Advent Conspiracy Black Friday ( partying ) Black Friday ( shopping ) Bronner 's Christmas Wonderland Christmas club Christmas creep Christmas Day ( Trading ) Act 2004 Christmas Lectures Christmas Mountains Christmas truce Controversies Cyber Monday Economics Giving Tuesday El Gordo Holiday season In July In August Leon Day NBA games NFL games Puritan New England American Civil War Post-War United States Running of the Santas SantaCon Santa 's Candy Castle Small Business Saturday Super Saturday Virginia O'Hanlon White Christmas Winter festivals WWE Tribute to the Troops Xmas Food and drink Dinner Joulupöytä Julebord Kūčios Réveillon Twelve - dish supper Smörgåsbord Wigilia Sweets bûche de Noël Cake Candy cane Cookies Fruitcake Gingerbread Kourabiedes Melomakarono Mince pie Pavlova Pecan pie Pumpkin pie Pudding Rosca de reyes Szaloncukor Turrón Soup Menudo Sauce Cranberry sauce Beverages Apple cider Champurrado Eggnog Mulled wine Smoking Bishop Ponche crema Dumpling Hallaca Tamale Meat Ham Roast goose Romeritos Turkey Stuffing Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=We_Wish_You_a_Merry_Christmas&oldid=817994572 '' Categories : Christmas carols 16th - century songs 16th century in England Christmas in England Christmas songs English songs British songs Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikisource Deutsch Diné bizaad Español Français 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Suomi Svenska Українська Vèneto Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 31 December 2017, at 21 : 40. 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Question: who sings the original we wish you a merry christmas
Answer: University of Bristol Madrigal Singers