The Holly Bough

For Christmas

Words and Music: English Traditional

Meter: 86 86 86 86 (or 86 86D)

Source: G. Walters, A Good Christmas Box (Dudley: G. Walters, 1847, Reprinted by Michael Raven, 2007), pp. ??.

The Cheerful days of Spring are fine,
When sunshine decks the hours,
And blithesome summer, when we twine
Wreaths of the fairest flowers;
But oh! Tho' bright the days of Spring,
And Summer's flowrets gay,
There's none that half the pleasure brings
Of merry Christmas day!

'Tis then from house to house we roam
To sing, as we do now,
And on the mantle-piece at home
We place the holly bough;
And fires ne'er seem to burn so bright,
Nor hearts to be so gay,
Nor feet to tread the ground so light,
As seen on Christmas Day!

But cold and selfish should we be,
And heartless, did we fail
To wish that you as well as we,
May merry be and hale!
May he whose love has ever blest
The righteous with its ray,
Grand you all good — and midst the rest
A merry Christmas Day!

And not on you and us alone,
His heav'nly blessing be:-
God bless the Queen upon the throne,
The infant on her knee;
And him whose careful duty is
To be their help and stay,-
Grant them with every other bliss,
A merry Christmas day!

In England's shores ten thousand halls,
To-day are deck'd with green,
And in her churches' happy walls
Ten thousand schools are seen!-
We know them not — but yet we know
How much like us they are;
Oh! blithesome may the moments flow,
To them on Christmas day!

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