Sans Day Carol

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The Sans Day Carol or St Day Carol is one of the many Cornish Christmas carols written in the 19th century. This carol & melody were first transcribed from the singing of a villager in St Day in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall.

The words of the carol are as follows

1. Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk,
And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk:

Chorus:And Mary bore Jesus our Saviour for to be,
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
Holly! Holly!
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly!

2. Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died on the cross:

Chorus

3. Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died for us all:

Chorus

4. Now the holly bears a berry, as blood is it red,
Then trust we our Saviour, who rose from the dead:

[edit] Cover Versions

1976 - Philip Ledger and the King's College Choir - Carols for Christmas Eve
1993 - John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers - Christmas Day in the Morning
1998 - David Hill and the Choir of Winchester Cathedral - O Come Let Us Adore Him: Christmas Carols from Winchester Cathedral
1996 - Sue White - Best of Cornish Folksongs, Vols I & II
2006 - Maddy Prior - An Evening of Carols and Capers
2007 - Chris Squire - Chris Squire's Swiss Choir