Version 1
Compare: The Twelve Days of Christmas -
Version 2
The Twelve Days of Christmas - Version
3 (with notes from Sharp)
See: Notes on Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional English, 18th Century
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer
Source: William Henry Husk, Songs of the Nativity (London: John Camden Hotten, 1868)
On the first day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me1
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Two turtle-doves
and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four colley birds,1a
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine drummers drumming,2
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a-leaping,
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle-doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
1. In the version collected by John Jacob Niles, "... my true love gave to me." Niles did not state the source or date of his version, although much of what he collected was from Southern Appalachia in 1912-1913 and 1932-1934. The version reprinted by Lomax gives "my true love sent to me." Return
1a. Or: "four calling birds." Return
2. In the version collected by John Jacob Niles, it was nine pipers piping, ten ladies dancing, eleven lords a-leaping, and twelve fiddlers fiddling. Lomax gives nine pipers piping, ten drummers drumming, eleven lords a-leaping, and twelve ladies dancing. Other versions have a different sorting of personnel. Return
Sheet Music from Sabine Baring Gould, Folk Songs of the West (1889)
The Twelve Days of Christmas:
La Dek Du Tagoj de Kristnasko
in Esperanto! by Gene Keyes
An Additional 6 Christmas Carols by Gene at Jula Karolaro
Plus 148 Christmas Carols in Esperanto at Kristnaskaj Kantoj
