> The Albion Band > Songs > Snow Falls

Snow Falls

[John Tams]

John Tams wrote Snow Falls for the play and Albion Band’s subsequent 1980 album Lark Rise to Candleford. The Albion Band performed it also at the 1986 Albion Band Christmas Show with Cathy Lesurf singing. A North German Radio (NDR) broadcast was included in the Albion Band’s cassette and CD Songs From the Shows Volume 2. A further recording by the Albion Christmas Band with Kellie While singing and including a poem by John Clare can be found on the 2003 CD An Albion Christmas. And John Tams sang Snow Falls at a Home Service concert at Cambridge Folk Festival in 1986, which was released in 2011 on their Fledg’ling CD Live 1986.

Chris and Siobhan Nelson sang Snow Falls on their 2004 CD Tomorrow’s Sun.

Jon Boden sang Snow Falls as the 3 December 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Whapweasel sang Snow Falls on their 2012 album Festivalis. They noted:

A song from the pen of Mr John Tams. Learned and performed for the show War Horse by Saul [Rose] during his stint in the West End as Song Man.

Bob Fox sang Snow Falls in 2015 on his CD The Song Man and in 2017 on the War Horse Songbook CD A Garland for Joey.

Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith sang Snow Falls on their 2019 winter album Awake, Arise. They noted:

A hopeful song of the turning seasons and the certainty that from the darkest times the spring will rise up again.

This video shows them at Downend Folk Club in Christ Church, Downend, on 21 December 2018:

Lyrics

John Tams sings Snow Falls

Cruel winter cuts through like the reaper,
The old year lies withered and slain.
Like Barleycorn who rose from the grave
The new year will rise up again.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
And the snow falls
And the wind calls
And the year turns round again

And I’ll wager a hand full of guineas
Against all of the songs you can sing:
Some day you’ll love and the next day you’ll lose,
And winter will turn into spring.

There will come a time of great plenty,
A time of good harvest and song.
Till then put your trust in tomorrow, my friend,
For yesterday’s over and done.

Jon Boden sings Snow Falls

The winter cuts me like the reaper,
The old year lies tattered and torn.
But like Barleycorn who rose from the grave
The old year will rise up again.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
And the snow falls
And the wind calls
And the year turns round again

I’ll wager a hand full of guineas
Against all of the songs you can sing:
One day you’ll lose and the next day you’ll win,
And winter will turn into spring.

There will come a time of great plenty,
A time of good harvest and song.
Till then put your trust in tomorrow, my friend,
For yesterday’s over and done.

Lady Maisery, Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith sing Snow Falls

Cruel winter cuts through like the reaper
The old year lies withered and slain
Like Barleycorn who arose from the grave
The new year will rise up again

There will come a time of great plenty
A time of good harvest and song
’Til then put your trust in tomorrow my friend
For yesterday’s over and done

And the snow falls
The wind calls
The year turns round again
’Til then put your trust in tomorrow my friend
For yesterday’s over and done

Then I’ll garland a bonnet of daisies
I’ll crown you the queen of the May
And all shall behold the seasons unfold
As surely as night follows day

And the snow falls
The wind calls
The year turns round again
All shall behold the seasons unfold
As surely as night follows day

And I’ll wager a hat full of guineas
Against all the songs you can sing
Some day you’ll love, the next day you’ll lose
And winter will turn into spring

And the snow falls
The wind calls
The year turns round again
Some day you’ll love, the next day you’ll lose
And winter will turn into spring

And the snow falls
The wind calls
The year turns round again
Like Barleycorn who arose from the grave
The new year will rise up again