To ’Castle Wakes let’s go! Let’s go! To ‘Castle Wakes let’s go!
For fun and cakes and the best of wakes,
as everyone shall know.
To our Town Field then we’ll repair where our fathers drank their wassail,
And proclaimed the charter of the wakes,
the birthright of Newcastle.
Chorus
To ‘Castle Wakes let’s go! Let’s go!
To ‘Castle Wakes let’s go!
For fun and cakes, and the best of wakes,
as every one shall know.
The sports so gay will soon repay th’enraptured anxious gazer,
Whilst wives and sweethearts on your knee
will doubly add to pleasure.
Strike up, strike up, thou glorious band, fifes, fiddles, pipes and organ,
Our leader with famed Hullah’s wand
will keep time with old Morgan
(chorus)
A chosen band of loyal men that faced the rebel wars
Will stand at ease and tip the cat,
and play at prison bars.
The Italian ballad singers feast, the chorus loud to bawl,
Whilst Billy Punky and the rest
eat stir-pudding with an awl
(chorus)
The steeple chase, the barrow race, in bags with many a faw,
Whilst some you’ll see on bended knee
knuckeing down to taw.
And men so sage will mount the stage in hopes to win the dollar;
With many a tug their ugly mug
keeps grinning through the collar
(chorus)
With drums and fifes and banners bright, and men of all profession,
And champions gay in fine array,
to join in the procession.
And whilst we sing each year shall bring our festival so gay,
With ale and cakes our merry wakes
upon St. Matthews Day
(chorus)
For fun and cakes and the best of wakes,
as everyone shall know.
To our Town Field then we’ll repair where our fathers drank their wassail,
And proclaimed the charter of the wakes,
the birthright of Newcastle.
Chorus
To ‘Castle Wakes let’s go! Let’s go!
To ‘Castle Wakes let’s go!
For fun and cakes, and the best of wakes,
as every one shall know.
The sports so gay will soon repay th’enraptured anxious gazer,
Whilst wives and sweethearts on your knee
will doubly add to pleasure.
Strike up, strike up, thou glorious band, fifes, fiddles, pipes and organ,
Our leader with famed Hullah’s wand
will keep time with old Morgan
(chorus)
A chosen band of loyal men that faced the rebel wars
Will stand at ease and tip the cat,
and play at prison bars.
The Italian ballad singers feast, the chorus loud to bawl,
Whilst Billy Punky and the rest
eat stir-pudding with an awl
(chorus)
The steeple chase, the barrow race, in bags with many a faw,
Whilst some you’ll see on bended knee
knuckeing down to taw.
And men so sage will mount the stage in hopes to win the dollar;
With many a tug their ugly mug
keeps grinning through the collar
(chorus)
With drums and fifes and banners bright, and men of all profession,
And champions gay in fine array,
to join in the procession.
And whilst we sing each year shall bring our festival so gay,
With ale and cakes our merry wakes
upon St. Matthews Day
(chorus)