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Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the one-o,
What a-may your one be?
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the two-o,
What a-may your two be?
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the three-o,
What a-may your three be?
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the four-o,
What a-may your four be?
Four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the five-o,
What a-may your five be?
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the six-o,
What a-may your six be?
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the seven-o,
What a-may your seven be?
Seven the bright stars in the sky,
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the eight-o,
What a-may your eight be?
Eight are the eight archangels,
Seven the bright stars in the sky,
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the nine-o,
What a-may your nine be?
Nine are the nine bright shiners,
Eight are the eight archangels,
Seven the bright stars in the sky,
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the ten-o,
What a-may your ten be?
Ten are the ten commandments,
Nine are the nine bright shiners,
Eight are the eight archangels,
Seven the bright stars in the sky,
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the eleven-o,
What a-may your eleven be?
Eleven the 'leven went up to heaven,
(To get the ten commandments)
Ten are the ten commandments,
Nine are the nine bright shiners,
Eight are the eight archangels,
Seven the bright stars in the sky,
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Come now I will sing a-you,
What a-will you sing a-me?
Sing a-you the twelve-o,
What my your twelve be?
Twelve are the twelve apostles,
Eleven the 'leven went up to heaven,
(To get the ten commandments)
Ten are the ten commandments,
Nine are the nine bright shiners,
Eight are the eight archangels,
Seven the bright stars in the sky,
Six are the jelly-come waiters,
Five are the plumb-buoys over the boat,
And four the gospel preachers,
Three of them destroyers,
Two of them were lily-white babes,
Dressed a darling green-o,
God is one and all alone
And evermore shall be so.
Collected in 1952 from Gordon Willis (1911-2001) of St. John's, NL, by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 3, pp.800-801, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved. A variant was also collected by Maud Karpeles (1885-1976) and published as #89, Twelve Apostles, in Folk Songs From Newfoundland (Faber & Faber, London, 1971; also Oxford, 1934). Another variant was collected by Genevieve Lehr and Anita Best and published as #23, Come And I Will Sing You in Come And I Will Sing You: A Newfoundland Songbook edited by Genevieve Lehr (University of Toronto Press, 1985/2003). A variant was recorded as Come And I Will Sing You by Great Big Sea (The Hard And The Easy, Warner Music Canada, 2005).
Kenneth Peacock noted that cumulative songs with a religious content seem to be a specialty of Fogo singers (Mr. Willis was a native of Fogo.) For another example see Eleven To Heaven by Alfred Israel Mahaney of Fogo, NL.
