Coventry Carol

This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. I remember the first time I heard Aled Jones, version, I fell head-over-heels in love. I could listen to his heavenly voice on repeat and never tire of it.

Did you know that this is one of the oldest Christmas songs and was officially written down in 1534? Coventry Carol was written for the nativity scene, which began with the Annunciation and ended with the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. Certainly, the darkest of the carols, the words reflect mothers soothing their soon-to-be slaughtered babies. The lament was part of a medieval play, performed annually until 1579, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I who outlawed Catholicism in favor of the new Church of England. The song was brought back to life during WWII after the Coventry blitz in November 1940, after 43,000 homes were destroyed, more than 550 people killed, along with the destruction of a medieval cathedral. The December BBC radio broadcast from the ruins, ended with the Coventry Carol.

Original lyrics

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child
Bye bye, lully, lullay
O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
“Bye bye, lully, lullay?”
Herod the king, in his raging
Chargèd he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay
That woe is me, poor child, for thee
And ever mourn and may
For thy parting neither say nor sing
“Bye bye, lully, lullay.”
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child

The hymn is based on St. Matthew’s tale of infanticide, and it appears nowhere else in the New Testament. Most historians doubt its occurrence, and suspect the story is an amalgamation of events including the murder of children in Egypt at Passover. (Note: King Herod is now widely believed to have died four years before Jesus was born.) However, the story reflects Herod’s despotic rule, during which he ordered the execution of three of his own sons as well as one of his ten wives. Nice guy, huh?
But, despite its melancholy lyrics, the 15th century song is still hauntingly beautiful.

Although the carol’s melody sounds melancholy to modern ears, medieval music lovers are believed to have found its minor key uplifting. The haunting tune makes use of the “Picardy third”— passages written in a minor key resolve on a major chord. It’s an unusual technique, but you can still hear it in pop songs such as The Zombies’ “Time of the Season” and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”.

Listen to the resolution at the end of each chorus of Time of the Season. BTW, this song is still featured on my playlists.