Green Grow The Rushes Kate Rusby

[Verse 1]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you one, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

One of them was all alone

Evermore will be, oh

[Verse 2]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you two, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Two of them were lily babes

Dressed all in green, oh

Two of them were lily babes

Dressed all in green, oh

[Verse 3]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you three, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Three of them were strangers

Come to see the babe, oh

Three of them were strangers

Come to see the babe, oh

[Verse 4]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you four, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Four, the four evangelists

Down among the green, oh

Four, the four evangelists

Down among the green, oh

[Verse 5]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you five, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Five, the ferryman in the boat

Sailing on the sea, oh

Five, the ferryman in the boat

Sailing on the sea, oh

[Accordion Solo]

[Verse 6]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you six, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Six, the gospel preacher

Stories all to tell, oh

Six, the gospel preacher

Stories all to tell, oh

[Verse 7]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you seven, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Seven, the stars all in the sky

Shining there above, oh

Seven, the stars all in the sky

Shining there above, oh

[Verse 8]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you eight, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Eight is for the morning break

When all the world's awake, oh

Eight is for the morning break

When all the world's awake, oh

[Verse 9]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you nine, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Nine is for the dilly bird

Never seen but heard, oh

Nine is for the dilly bird

Never seen but heard, oh

[Verse 10]

Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you ten, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Ten the hand of kindness

Ten begins again, oh

Ten the hand of kindness

Ten begins again, oh

(Alternative, the ten commandments)

(Additional verses would be

[Verse 11] Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you leven, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Leven the leven that went to heaven, etc

[Verse 12] Come, I will sing you

Green grow the rushes, oh

I'll sing you twelve, oh

Down among the rushes, oh

Twelve the twelve apostles, etc)

Notes

The seven are probably the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades star cluster. Other options include Ursa Major or the seven traditional planets. Alternatively, they could be the seven stars of Revelation 1:16, which are held in the right hand of Christ and explained as referring to the seven angels of seven of the early Christian churches.

The six are alternatively the six proud walkers or waters, a reference to the six jars of water that Jesus turned into wine at the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee, (John 2:6. )Or it may refer to Ezekiel 9:2 where six men with swords come in a vision of the prophet to slaughter the people, whose leaders (8:16) have committed such sins as turning East to worship the Sun, and "have filled the land with violence"

The four evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The three strangers are the three Magi of the Nativity. 

The two lily babes are traditionally John the Baptist and Jesus, both said to be born without original sin, making them the lily-white boys. It may refer to the story of the Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus in clothes of 'dazzling white'.  Others suggest the Gemini twins.

This first verse originally referred to God.

Seven Joys Kate Rusby

[Verse 1]

The first good joy that Mary had it was the joy of one

To see her own son Jesus Christ when he had first begun

When he had first begun, good Lord and blessed may we be

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

[Verse 2]

The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of two

To see her own son Jesus Christ smiling first anew

Smiling first anew, good Lord and blessed may we be

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

[Verse 3]

The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of three

To see her own son Jesus Christ making the blind to see

Making the blind to see, good Lord and blessеd may we be

Praise Fathеr, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

[Verse 4]

The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of four

To see her own son Jesus Christ reading the Bible o'er

Reading the Bible o'er, good Lord and blessed may we be

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

[Accordion Solo]

[Verse 5]

The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of five

To see her own son Jesus Christ bringing the dead alive

Bringing the dead alive, good Lord and blessed may we be

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

[Verse 6]

The next good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of six

To see her own son Jesus Christ upon the crucifix

Upon the crucifix, good Lord and blessed may we be

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

[Verse 7]

The last good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of seven

To see her own son Jesus Christ ascending into heaven

Ascending into heaven, good Lord and blessed may we be

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost through all eternity

(At the begnning of the twentieth century Cecil Sharp found a woman in Mark, Somerset, called Jane Duddridge. She sang a version with three extra verses

8 The next great joy that Mary had, it was the joy of eight,

To see her own Son Jesus to bring the crooked straight;

To bring the crooked straight, good man, etc., etc.

9 The next great joy that Mary had, it was the joy of nine,

To see her own Son Jesus turn water into wine;

Turn water into wine, good man,etc., etc.

10 The next great joy that Mary had, it was the joy of ten,

To see her own Son Jesus bring up ten gentlemen;

Bring up ten gentlemen, good man, how happy may you be;

O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and Christ to eternity.)

A Christmas Chorale Mary Hopkin Album

Since 2020 a 17 track album (12 tracks and five bonus numbers) by the Welsh folk singer, Mary Hopkin, has been available. It incudes three songs in Welsh and a number of acapella of items. Most of these are traditional pieces but some are modern, including Snowed Under by Mary herself. Her grown up children are alos involved in this album. There is arecording of Mary singing aged 12, which I didn't particularly enjoy myself. Two tracks from 1972 (Mary had a baby, Cherry Tree carol) are very good.

Light Years Album by Kate Rusby

The sixth Christmas album by Kate Rusby is avaiable from today. Kicking off with a nice version of Brightest and best of the sons of morning (Spean) followed by one of those atmospheric winter songs we have come to love (Glorious), the eleven track set is familiar in some ways yet fresh and will be much enjoyed over the next 25 days and beyond. Inevitbly, there is yet another version of While shepherds, of course. In the end it's that voice that's key. Wonderful.

Winter by Steeleye Span

I love Christmas music but somehow I'd missed this 2004 album from folk rockers Steeleye Span. It is an excellent collection of familiar and new pieces, mostly vocals but with plenty of variety. Tracks include the familiar "The First Nowell", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", "Good King Wenceslas", "See, Amid the Winter's Snow" and "In the Bleak Midwinter" all given a partiular twist. "Down in Yon Forest" is an old piece found also on one of Kate Rusby's albums under a different title. "Blow Your Trumpet Gabriel" is a version of an African American spiritual. This very Christian element is balanced with more pagan songs delving into other aspects of Christmas tradition. Well worth checking out.

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 7 Awake arise good Christians

Awake, arise good Christians, let nothing you dismay,
For unto us our Saviour was born upon this day!
The self-same moon was shining that now is in the sky,
When a holy band of angels came down from God on high!

Hosanna! Hosanna! To Jesus we'll sing,
Hosanna! Hosanna! Our Saviour, our King.

“Fear not, we bring good tidings, for on this happy morn,
The promised One, the Saviour, in Bethlehem's town was born!”
Up rose the simple shepherds, all with a joyful mind,
“Then let us go in haste,” they say, “This Holy Child to find.”

And like unto the shepherds, we wander far and near,
And bid you wake, good Christians, the joyful news to hear:
Awake, arise, good Christians, Let nothing you dismay,
For unto us our Saviour was born upon this day!
(repeat first verse and chorus twice)

This is abother Yorkshire one sung by Kate Rusby on Sweet Bells

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 6 Drive the cold winter away

Census at Bethlehem Bruegel the elder

This is an Elizabethan song, again from Kate Rusby's The Frost is all over

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
As well for the poor as the peer!
And good fortune attends each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with music and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.

'Tis ill for a mind to anger inclined
To think of small injuries now,
If it's wrath that you seek, do not lend her your cheek
Nor let her inhabit thy brow.
Cast out of thy books malevolent looks,
Both beauty and youth's decay,
And wholly consort with mirth and sport
To drive the cold winter away.

Oh this time of the year is spent in good cheer
And neighbours together do meet,
Oh to sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love to greet.
And old grudges forgot are put in the pot,
And sorrows aside they all lay,
The old and the young doth carol this song,
To drive the cold winter away.

When Christmas tide comes in a like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
For twelve days of the year are spent in good cheer
In every household is glad.
Then the country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
And every young man does the best that he can
To drive the cold winter away.

This is another version

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.

This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
And neighbours together do meet,
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love do greet;
Old grudges forgot, are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay,
The old and the young doth carol his song,
To drive the cold winter away.

To mask and to mum kind neighbours will come
With wassails of nut-brown ale,
To drink and carouse to all in the house,
As merry as bucks in the dale;
Where cake, bread and cheese is brought for your fees,
To make you the longer stay;
At the fire to warm will do you no harm,
To drive the cold winter away.

When Christmastide comes in like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year, much mirth and good cheer,
In every household is had;
The country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
Whereat the young men do best that they can,
To drive the cold winter away.

When white-bearded frost hath threatened his worst,
And fallen from branch and brier,
Then time away calls, from husbandry halls
And from the good countryman's fire,
Together to go to plough and to sow,
To get us both food and array;
And thus with content the time we have spent
To drive the cold winter away.

I also have instrumental versions by Horslips to the traditional tune

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 5 Wish you a merry Christmas

This is a traditional song sung with various words. This is a SouthYorkshire version as sung by Kate Rusby on The Frost is all over

We singers make bold, as in days of old,

To celebrate Christmas and bring you good cheer;

Glad tidings we bring to you and your King,

To wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year

We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Glad he shepherds amazed as upward they gazed,
Behold holy angels to them drawing near;
Sing peace to all men as onward they came
To wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

So join heart and hand across this great land
In hope, peace adn kindness throughout the New Year,
In an innocent way be merry today,
To wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
And we ...

I also have versions by Enya and by Richie Blackmore

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 3 Ane sang of the birth of Christ

Ane Sang Of The Birth Of Christ (Balulalow)

Scottish 16th Century written by James, John and Robert Wedderburn

I come fra hevin here to tell

The best nowells that e'er befell

To you their tythings trew I bring

And I will of them say and sing.

To you this day is born ane child

Of Marie meik and Virgin mild.

That blissit bairn bening and kind (bening and kind)

Shall you rejoyce baith hart and mind.

Lat us rejoyis and be blyth

And with the Hydris go full swyth

And see what God of his grace has done

Throu Christ to bring us to his throne

My saull and life, stand up and see

What lyis in ane cribbe of tree.

What Babe is that, sa gude and fair? (sa gue and fair?)

It is Christ, God's Son and Air.

The silk and sandell thee to eis

Ar hay and sempill sweilling clais,

Whar thou greit glorious God and King

As thou in hev'n war in thy ring.

And war the warld ten times sa wide,

Cled ouer with gold and stanes of pride

Unworthie yit it were to thee

Under thy feet ane stule to be.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit,

Prepare thy creddil in my spreit!

And I shall rock thee in my hart

And never mair fra thee depart.

Bot I sall praise thee evermoir

With sangis sweit unto thy gloir.

The kneis of my hart sall I bow,

And sing that rycht Balulalow.

This is again from Carols and capers by Maddy Prtor and the Carnival Band

10 Lesser known Christmas Songs 2 My dancing day

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;

I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love

Then was I born of a virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance
Thus was I knit to man's nature
To call my true love to my dance.

In a manger laid, and wrapped I was

So very poor, this was my chance
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass
To call my true love to my dance.

Other verses go as follows

Then afterwards baptized I was;

The Holy Ghost on me did glance,
My Father’s voice heard from above,
To call my true love to my dance.

Into the desert I was led,

Where I fasted without substance;
The Devil bade me make stones my bread,
To have me break my true love's dance.

The Jews on me they made great suit,

And with me made great variance,
Because they loved darkness rather than light,
To call my true love to my dance.

For thirty pence Judas me sold,

His covetousness for to advance:
Mark whom I kiss, the same do hold!
The same is he shall lead the dance.

Before Pilate the Jews me brought,

Where Barabbas had deliverance;
They scourged me and set me at nought,
Judged me to die to lead the dance.

Then on the cross hanged I was,

Where a spear my heart did glance;
There issued forth both water and blood,
To call my true love to my dance.

Then down to hell I took my way
For my true love's deliverance,
And rose again on the third day,
Up to my true love and the dance.

Then up to heaven I did ascend,
Where now I dwell in sure substance
On the right hand of God, that man
May come unto the general dance.

I know the first part from the Maddy Prior and the Carnival band album Carols and capers. The traditional song goes back to Mediaeval times and is said to be the root of the modern song Lord of the dance.

Winter Song by Lindisfarne

Nice thoughtful alternative Christmas song

Christmas Albums by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band

 If you like folk music these are great albums.
A Tapestry of Carols (Saydisc 1986 CD-SDL 366)
Carols and Capers (Park Records 1991 PRKCD9)
Carols at Christmas (Park Records 1996 PRKCD45) [Live]
Gold Frankincense and Myrrh (Park Records 2001 PRKCD59)
An Evening of Carols and Capers (Park Records 2005 DVD PRKDVD87, CD PRKCD86) [Live]
Ringing the Changes (Park Records 2007 PRKCD98)
Vaughan Williams Carols Songs & Hymns (Park Records 2010 PRKCD111) [Not all Christmas music]
A Christmas Caper: The Best of Maddy Prior & the Carnival Band (Park Records 2012 PRKCD124)

English Folk Carols (Regis Records nd RRC1335) [Also featuring one track by Sneak's Noyes]

Kate Rusby Christmas Albums

With the recent release of Kate Rusby's latest Christmas album, Holly Head, five albums of the stuff are now available, a colossal 59 tracks. Each album follows the same format of beautiful arrangements, plenty of brass and accordion, an occasional banjo and always that wonderful voice.

While Shepherds watch appears, amazingly, on five of the albums, twice on the 2008 album Sweet Bells

Carols are the staple for these albums- Hark the herald (two versions), Hark, hark what news, Awake arise Good Christians, Bleak Mid-winter, Hark Hark, Joy to the World, Little Town Of Bethlehem, Lu Lay, Salute the Morn, Rolling Downward, Shepherds Arise, See amid the winter's snow, Yorkshire Three Ships.

All hail the power of Jesus name to Diadem is a hymn not necessarily associated with Christmas. Something similar could be said of Holmfirth Album.

The Wren is a Boxing Day song.

Christmas songs include Deck the Halls, Drive the Cold Winter Away, Kris Kringle, Let it Snow, Rocking Carol and Winter wonderland.

Then there are folk songs about Christmas, First Tree in the Greenwood, I am Christmas, The Holly and the Ivy, Mistletoe Bough, Seven Good Joys, Sunny Bank and The Dilly Carol. The unusual Poor old Horse refers to the tradition of what in Wales is called the Mari Lwyd. Candlemas Eve is again a little different, as is Serving girl's holiday and The miner's dream of home.

The wassailing songs are Here We Come A-Wassailing and Cornish wassailing, put together by Kate herself, and Yorkshire Merry Christmas. 

Among the comic songs are The Christmas Goose, The Ivy and the Holly, Hippo for Christmas, Santa never brings me a banjo (along with the all too brief banjo, banjo) and two Brave Bill songs.

Lots of songs refer to bells. As well as two versions of While Shepherds there are Let the Bells Ring by Kate herself and Hark to the Bells to Bradfield,

Two or three songs on each album are Kate Rusby originals - Home, The Frost is all over, The Holly King, etc.