Wacky Anne's Christmas Music Room: Traditional Carols II

To go straight to a particular traditional Christmas carol, click on the title above. Once you get to the lyrics, click on the song title to hear it played as well. Alternate and optional text is placed within (parenthesis). The refrain is in italics, sing it when you see Refrain.

The First Noel
Traditional French and English

Midi length: 114s (1:54)

Probably the oldest popular carol in the English language, handed down by custom over the centuries. Harmonized and printed in 1833 in William Sandy's Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern. The music would have come from a French or English medieval shepherds' tune. Noel, a French word probably derived from the Latin word "natalis" meaning "birth", is a shout of joy at the birth of Jesus. When the word found its way to England, it was spelled Nowell, and came to mean "Now all is well" because that is what the angels told the shepherds when Christ was born.

The first Noel, the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On (In) a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a Star
Shining in the East, beyond them far;
And to the Earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.

Refrain

And by the light of that same star,
Three wise men came from country far;
To seek (the/for a) King was their intent
And to follow the star (wherever/whersoever) it went.

Refrain

This star drew night to the northwest, 
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Refrain

Then enter'd in those wise men three,
Full rev'rently upon their knee;
And offer'd there in His presence,
(Their/Both) gold, and myrrh, and frankincense.

Refrain

Then let us all with one accord,
Sing praises to our Heavenly Lord,
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
And with His Blood mankind hath bought.

Refrain

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Traditional English

Midi length: 45s (0:45)

A traditional English carol, its title means "God keep you, gentlemen, in merry spirits". One of most popular Christmas songs, it first appeared in 1770 in a collection called "Roxburgh Ballads". The melody was probably taken from a popular London street song of that time. Although written in a minor key, it's surprisingly cheerful.

God rest (you/ye) merry, Gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Saviour
 (For Christ our Heavenly Saviour)
 (Jesus Christ our Saviour)
Was born on Christmas day;
 (Was born upon this day;)
To save (us all/our souls) from Satan's
 (pow'r/fire)
When we (were/have) gone astray

Oh (O), tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Jewry,
This blessed Babe was born,
And laid within a manger
upon this blessed morn;
The which of His Mother Mary
did nothing take in scorn.

Refrain

From God, our Heav'nly Father
a blessed Angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
brought tididngs of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born
the Son of God by Name.

Refrain

"Fear not," then said the angel,
"Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of virtue, power, and might;
 (Of a pure Virgin bright;)
So frequently to vanquish all
 (To free all those who trust in Him)
The friends of Satan quite"
 (From Satan's power and might")

Refrain

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding,
In tempest, storm, and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
This blessed Babe to find.

Refrain

But when to Bethlehem they came,
Whereat this Infant lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray.

Refrain

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood,
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other(s) doth deface.

Refrain

Good King Wenceslas
Traditional, J. Neale

Originally a spring carol entitled Spring has now unwrapped the flowers, it was transformed by Reverend John Mason Neale (1818-1866), an English writer and hymn translator. The spring carol came from a volume of songs called Piae Cantiones, compiled in 1582 by Theodoricus Petrus of Nyland, Finland.

There is some confusion surrounding the subject of the tune. Two prominent Wenceslas existed, one a cruel King, another a kind Duke. It is the second, a Duke not a King, who legend is told in the carol. He was the Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century, and worked to Christianize his land. He was murdered in 929 by his brother Boleslav I, who succeeded to the throne. Later sainted, legends of his good acts and miracles spread far and wide. He is said to have aided the poor at Christmas and especially on St. Stephen's Day. Centuries later, this carol was sung by all those who went out to collect alms on that day.

Good King Wenceslas looked out,
on the Feast of Stephen;
When the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp, and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
tho' the frost was cruel, 
when a poor man came in sight,
gath'ring winter fuel.
 
"Hither, page, and stand by me,
if thou know'st it, telling. 
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence,
underneath the mountain,
right against the forest fence
by Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine,
bring me pine-logs hither.
Thou and I will see him dine,
when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went, 
forth they went together; 
through the rude wind's wild lament 
and the bitter weather.

"Sir, the night is darker now,
and the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps (good my page/, my good page),
tread thou in them boldly.
Thou shall find the winter's rage
freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's step he trod,
where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod 
which the Saint had printed. 
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
wealth or rank possessing, 
ye who now will bless the poor, 
shall yourselves find blessing.

Go Tell It on the Mountain
Negro Spiritual

This more modern American carol is a Negro spiritual, a religious folksong that originated with slaves in the South East United States. After the slaves were freed, a man named William Francis Allen first collected their songs in 1868 in a book called Slave Songs of the United States. In the following decade, a group called the "Jubilee Singers" became popular in Nashville, Tennessee. They sang in choir lofts and on concert stages across the country, spreading the spiritual among the people. "Go Tell it on the mountain" in its simplicity and directness, became one of the most popular Negro spirituals associated with Christmas.

When I was a seeker,
I sought both night and day,
I sought the Lord to help me,
and He showed me the way,

Oh! 
Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and ev'rywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!

He made me a watchman
Up on the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.

Refrain

(Down the lonely manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.
Hallelujah!)

Refrain

(While shepherds kept their watch
Over silent flocks by night
God throughout the heavens
They showed a holy light
Hallelujah!)

Refrain

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Music by Felix Mendelssohn and lyrics by Charles Wesley.

The melody was written by German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and comes from his Festgesang, specifically the second chorus entitled God is Light. (The composition was actually written in 1840 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of the printing press.) In 1855, the music was matched to words by the English hymn writer, Charles Wesley (1707-1788); one of the founders of Methodism, and who was their "Poet Laureate". A year later the carol was published and eventually became one of the ten most popular carols.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King
Peace on Earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark! the herald angels sing, 
"Glory to the newborn King!

Christ, by highest heav'n adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of (a/the) Virgin's womb.
 (of the favoured one.)
Veil'd in flesh, the God-head see,
Hail, th'Incarnate Deity,
Pleased, as Man, with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Refrain

Hail! the heav'n-born Prince of peace!
 (Hail! the crimson lord of peace)
Hail! the (Son/Sun) of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

(Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Ris'n with healing in His wings,
Light and life to all He brings,
Hail! the (Son/Sun) of Righteousness!
Hail! the heav'n-born Prince of peace!)

Refrain

The Holly and the Ivy

The holly and the ivy, 
When they are both full grown, 
Of all the trees that are in the wood, 
The holly bears the crown. 

O the rising of the sun, 
And the running of the deer, 
The playing of the merry organ, 
Sweet singing in the choir. 

The holly bears a blossom 
As white as lily flower; 
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ 
To be our sweet Savior. 

The holly bears a berry 
As red as any blood; 
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ 
To do poor sinners good. 

The holly bears a prickle 
As sharp as any thorn; 
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ 
On Christmas day in the morn. 

The holly bears a bark 
As bitter as any gall; 
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ 
For to redeem us all. 

(1st verse: bis)

O Holy Night
(Minuit chrétiens) French carol

Music by Parisian opera composer, Adolphe Charles Adam (1803-1856), who created his own theater in which to present his works to the public. It was set to the poem by M. Cappeau de Roquemaure. An American music critic and Unitarian minister, John Sullivan Dwight (1813-1893), later translated it.

On Christmas Eve in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war, French and German troops were in nearby trenches. Suddenly one of the Frenchmen jumped up and sang this chillingly beautiful solo song, in honour of that evening. No Germans fired at him; instead, one of their troops emerged and sang a German carol.

O holy night! 
The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of (the/our) dear Saviour's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and (err a-pining/error pining),
'Till he appear'd, and the soul (felt/found) its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Fall on your knees!
O hear the angel voices!
O, night divine!
O night when Christ was born!
O, night divine!
O, night, O night divine!

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
here (come/came) the wise men from (the) Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger,
in all our trials, born to be our friend.

He knows our need(s),
to our weakness no stranger;
Behold, your King! (Before Him lowly bend!/
 Before the Lowly bend!)
Your King, before Him bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love, and His gospel is peace;
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! Then ever praise we!
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
American carol

On Christmas Eve, 1863, the year the Battle of Gettysburg cost 40,000 lives in the midst of the America Civil War, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow composed the poem that was to become this carol. He taught literature for 17 years at Harvard University, and was one of the country's most influential writers. His faith in the power of God and man to join and transcend the horrors of war gave birth to this song, inspired by his hearing the ringing out of the Christmas Bells. Nine years after it appeared as a poem, the tune was written by John Baptiste Calkin, an English organist and composer.

I heard the bells on Christmas day 
Their old familiar carols play, 
And mild (wild) and sweet the words repeat, 
Of peace on earth, good will to men. 

I thought how, as the day had come, 
The belfries of all Christendom 
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song 
Of peace on earth, good will to men. 

And in despair I bow'd my head: 
"There is no peace on earth," I said, 
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song 
Of peace on earth, good will to men." 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, 
With peace on earth, good will to men." 

'Til ringing, singing on its way, 
The world revolved from night to day, 
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, 
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

In the Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can give Him: give my heart.

I Saw Three Ships
Traditional English

1. I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day. 
I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

2. And what was in those ships all three, 
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
And what was in those ships all three, 
On Christmas Day in the morning.

3. The Virgin Mary and Christ were there,
4. And all the angels in heav'n will sing,
5. Then let us all rejoice (amain) again,

(3. Our Saviour Christ and His lady,
4. Pray, wither sailed those ships all three?
5. O they sailed into Bethlehem,
6. And all the bells on earth shall ring,
7. And all the angels in heaven shall sing
8. And all the souls on Earth shall sing
9. The let us all rejoice amain,)

-On Christmas Day in the morning-

My Christmas Music Room: Christmas Carols

Traditional, Continued