The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

11
    'He neither shall be clothed
      in purple nor in pall,
    But all in fair linen,
      as were babies all.

    12
    'He neither shall be rocked
      in silver nor in gold,
    But in a wooden cradle,
      that rocks on the mould.

    13
    'He neither shall be christened
      in white wine nor red,
    But with fair spring water,
      with which we were christened.'

    14
    Then Mary took her young son,
      and set him on her knee:
    'I pray thee now, dear child,
      tell how this world shall be.'

    15
    'O I shall be as dead, mother,
      as the stones in the wall;
    O the stones in the street, mother,
      shall mourn for me all.

    16
    'And upon a Wednesday
      my vow I will make,
    And upon Good Friday
      my death I will take.

    17
    'Upon Easter-day, mother,
      my rising shall be;
    O the sun and the moon
      shall uprise with me.

    18
    'The people shall rejoice,
      and the birds they shall sing,
    To see the uprising
      of the heavenly king.'


C

        Bramley and Stainer, Christmas Carols, p. 60.

    1
    Joseph was an old man,
      an old man was he,
    He married sweet Mary,
      the Queen of Galilee.

    2
    As they went a walking
      in the garden so gay,
    Maid Mary spied cherries,
      hanging over yon tree.

    3
    Mary said to Joseph,
      with her sweet lips so mild,
    'Pluck those cherries, Joseph,
      for to give to my child.'

    4
    O then replied Joseph,
      with words so unkind,
    'I will pluck no cherries
      for to give to thy child.'

    5
    Mary said to cherry-tree,
      'Bow down to my knee,
    That I may pluck cherries,
      by one, two, and three.'

    6
    The uppermost sprig then
      bowed down to her knee:
    'Thus you may see, Joseph,
      these cherries are for me.'

    7
    'O eat your cherries, Mary,
      O eat your cherries now,
    O eat your cherries, Mary,
      that grow upon the bough.'

    8
    As Joseph was a walking
      he heard angels sing,
    'This night there shall be born
      our heavenly king.

    9
    'He neither shall be born
      in house nor in hall,
    Nor in the place of Paradise,
      but in an ox-stall.

    10
    'He shall not be clothed
      in purple nor pall,
    But all in fair linen,
      as wear babies all.

    11
    'He shall not be rocked
      in silver nor gold,
    But in a wooden cradle,
      that rocks on the mould.

    12
    'He neither shall be christened
      in milk nor in wine,
    But in pure spring-well water,
      fresh sprung from Bethine.'

    13
    Mary took her baby,
      she dressed him so sweet;
    She laid him in a manger,
      all there for to sleep.

    14
    As she stood over him
      she heard angels sing,
    'Oh bless our dear Saviour,
      our heavenly king.'


D

        Notes and Queries, Fourth Series, XII, 461; taken from
        the mouth of a wandering gypsy girl in Berkshire.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2 (of 5)

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