When I was in college, my friends and I spent an inordinate time trying to figure out what the lyrics to Pentangle's famous recording of "Lyke Wake Dirge" actually meant. Having found numerous references here and there in the intervening years, I thought it was time to do a sort of translation so that people who have heard the song can get a sense for what it originally meant.

Overall, the song is a warning to the living: Be generous to the poor or you'll regret it when your time comes. The dirge is ancient, and exists in several major forms. I've used the commonest one as the traditional version, with the addition of the verses about the Brig o' Dread that most leave out, including the 1972 recording by Pentangle. My translation isn't really intended to be sung, and I've emphasized clarity over poetry or grace. I mostly wanted people to understand the original. My explanatory notes follow the lyrics.

This ae nighte, this ae nighte,
Every nighte and alle,
Fire and fleet and candle-lighte,
And Christe receive thy saule.

When thou from hence away art past,
Every nighte and alle,
To Whinny-muir thou com'st at last;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If ever thou gavest hosen and shoon,
Every nighte and alle,
Sit thee down and put them on;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If hosen and shoon thou ne'er gav'st nane
Every nighte and alle,
The whinnes sall prick thee to the bare bane;
And Christe receive thy saule.

From Whinny-muir whence thou may'st pass,
Every nighte and alle,
To Brig o' Dread thou com'st at last;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If ever thou gav'st silver and gold,
Every nighte and alle,
At t' Brig o' Dread thou'lt find foothold,
And Christe receive thy saule.

But if silver and gold thou never gav'st nane,
Every nighte and alle,
Down thou tumblest to Hell flame,
And Christe receive thy saule.

From Brig o' Dread whence thou may'st pass, Every nighte and alle,
To Purgatory fire thou com'st at last;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If ever thou gav'st meat or drink,
Every nighte and alle,
The fire sall never make thee shrink;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If meat or drink thou ne'er gav'st nane,
Every nighte and alle,
The fire will burn thee to the bare bane;
And Christe receive thy saule.

This ae nighte, this ae nighte,
Every nighte and alle,
Fire and fleet and candle-lighte,
And Christe receive thy saule.

On this night, on this night,
Every night and all,
Hearth and house and candle-light,
And Christ receive your soul.

When from here away you pass
Every night and all,
To Thorny Moor you come at last;
And Christ receive your soul.

If ever you gave hose and shoes,
Every night and all,
Sit then down and put them on;
And Christ receive your soul.

But if hose and shoes you gave none
Every night and all,
The thorns shall prick you to the bare bone;
And Christ receive your soul.

From Thorny Moor then you may pass,
Every night and all,
To Bridge of Dread you come at last;
And Christ receive your soul.

If ever you gave silver and gold,
Every night and all,
At Bridge of Dread you'll find foothold,
And Christ receive your soul.

But if silver and gold you gave none
Every night and all:
You'll tumble down into Hell's flames
And Christ receive your soul.

From Bridge of Dread then you may pass,
Every night and all,
To Purgatory fire you'll come at last;
And Christ receive your soul.

If ever you gave meat or drink,
Every night and all,
The fire will never make you shrink;
And Christ receive your soul.

But if meat or drink you gave none,
Every night and all,
The fire will burn you to the bare bone;
And Christ receive your soul.

On this night, on this night,
Every night and all,
Hearth and house and candle-light,
And Christ receive your soul.

Notes:

Lyke

The word "lyke" is an ancient British word for "corpse." The word is related to "lych," and "leich," all of which refer to the dead. People who have read the "Heroes in Hell" novels will recognize the word in the walking skeletons called "liches".

Wake

The word "wake" originally meant "watch" (as in, a period of standing by or attending) and its old meaning is still current: A period of watching over a corpse. The idea of a wake came out of an ancient superstition that the soul sometimes takes a little time to get itself disentangled from the body after death. A wake was thus a time when the soul was still in the vicinity ("on this night"; i.e., during the wake) and could benefit from the prayers of mourners. Presumably the song was sung at wakes to remind the departing soul—as well as those attending the corpse—what it was in for.

Sleet/Fleet

The meaning of "sleet" or "fleet" as variously given is open to debate. Some think the word is really "sleet," since the letters "f" and "s" in old writing can be easily confused. The easy assumption is that "sleet" means what it does today: freezing rain, adding to the gloomy and cold atmosphere evoked by the song. Another interpretation of "sleet" involves salt. Salt was sometimes poured out on the breast of a corpse before the coffin was sealed, as a gesture of good luck, and some say that "sleet" is a variation on "selt," an old word for salt. Sir Walter Scott speaks of the song in his 1802 ballad collection Minstrelsy, and says:

This is a sort of charm sung by the lower ranks of Roman Catholics in the north of England, while watching a dead body, previous to interment. The tune is doleful and monotonous, and, joined to the mysterious import of the words, has a solemn effect. The word sleet, in the chorus, seems to be corrupted from selt, or salt; a quantity of which, in compliance with a popular superstition, is frequently placed on the breast of a corpse.

(This quote taken from a discussion here.) As potent an authority as Sir Walter Scott might seem, he was not English but a Scot. As best we can tell the song originated in Yorkshire, and people who have studied Yorkshire culture and dialect tell us that the word really is "fleet" with an "f". "Fleet" is an old word for a large room in a house, related to "flet" or floor. People who have read Tolkien may recall the Elvish platforms up in the trees in Lothlorien, which were called "flets" and were little more than floors surrounding the trunks of large trees.

When "fleet" appears in English poetry, it is generally together with "fire" in the phrase "fire and fleet," to indicate the comforts of home. (Today we would say "hearth and home.") I've translated "Fire and fleet and candle-lighte" to "Hearth and house and candle-light," which doesn't sing as well but captures the most common interpretation of "fleet."

An interesting discussion confirming this can be found here (the page is long; search for "flet" or "fleti") and includes a quote from Dr. W. A. Cragie:

The word fleet in the 'Lyke-wake Dirge' has been much misunderstood, but it is certainly the same thing as flet-floor; see the O.E.D. and E.D.D. under FLET. The form is not necessarily 'erroneous,' as is said in the O.E.D., for it might represent the O.N. [Old Norse] dative fleti, which must have been common in the phrase a fleti (cf. the first verse of 'Havamal'). The collocation with 'fire' occurs in 'Sir Gawayne' (l. 1653): 'Aboute the fyre upon flet.' 'Fire and fleet and candle-light' are a summary of the comforts of the house, which the dead person still enjoys for 'this ae night,' [i.e, during his her wake] and then goes out into the dark.

Whinny-Muir

(We thought they were singing "to anymore thou com'st at last" in 1972.) The word "muir" is an old form of the modern "moor," which is what the British call desolate, treeless land covered with brush. In the US we would call it "chaparral," though our moors are doubtless hotter and drier than theirs. A "whinny moor" is a moor overgrown with a thorn bush now called gorse (Ulex Europaeus) but in times past also called "whin". The gist of the whinny moor verse is that if you give shoes and stockings to the poor, you will have shoes and stockings on your feet when you must cross a whinny moor in the afterworld. Otherwise, you'll have to walk across the thorns barefoot.

Brig 'o Dread

"Brig" is an old word for "bridge." The Bridge of Dread is a common afterlife theme: A narrow bridge (which probably alludes to the "narrow path" mentioned in Matthew 7: 13-14) across which the dead must pass as a test. Those who have given alms to the poor walk straight and find steady footing, and pass safely across the bridge. Those who have been stingy cannot walk steadily, and tumble off the Bridge into Hell.

Other References:

The Lyke Wake Walk. Inspired by the old song, a Yorkshireman named Bill Cowley who farmed in the area in the 50's suggested a 40-mile challenge walk across the Yorkshire moors from Scarthwood Moor to Wyke Point. It was rough country without good footpaths (at least in 1955, when Cowley made the suggestion) and anyone who could do the 40-odd miles within 24 hours was by definition a trooper and a very good hiker. The walk became popular enough so that the Lyke Wake Club was formed, and upon proof that a hiker has taken the challenge and achieved it, the Chief Dirger will issue a Certificate of Condolence. (Presumably for the sake of the hiker's battered feet.) Although the club has no true organization or regular meetings, there is a book, The Lyke Wake Walk, which serves as an official guide to the club and the walk. There is a whole Web page devoted to what sorts of songs hikers should sing while doing the Walk.

A MIDI version of the song is here.