God Bless the Master of this House Collected by Bob Copper in about 1954, as his note below explains, both from Frank 'Mush' Bond, at the Fox in North Waltham, Hants, and from Victor 'Turp' Brown of Cheriton: see Chapter Fifteen, pp. 123-134, of Songs and Southern Breezes for the details; and the appendix for these words.
God bless the master of this house with a gold chain round his neck,
O, where his body sleeps or wakes, Lord send his soul to rest,
And Lord send his soul to rest.God bless the mistress of this house with a gold chain round her neck,
O, where her body sleeps or wakes, Lord Jesus be her guide,
O, Lord Jesus be her guide.O, mortal man remember thou when Christ the Lord was born,
He was crucified betwixt two thieves and crowned with a thorn,
And was crowned with a thorn.O, mortal man remember thou when Christ laid on the road,
It was for our sins and wickedness he shod his precious blood,
And he shod his precious blood.O, mortal man remember thou when Christ lay wrapped in clay,
He was buried in some safe old acre where there was never no man lay,
Where there was never no man lay.God bless you all both great and small, your cattle and your store,
For the Lord will increase you day by day and send you more and more,
And God will send us a Happy New Year.
Note: The last two stanzas were not included in F. Bond's version as he sang it to me but are taken from the song as sung by Victor 'Turp' Brown of Cheriton, a mere ten miles away. The tune in both versions was identical.
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