The Holly and the Ivy
(Traditional) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were working out their words.
When something Happened poor Jesus christ,
Got caught up in the woods:
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears a blossom,
As white as lily flow'are,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our dear Saviour: Refrain
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To do poor sinners good: Refrain
The holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
On Christmas Day in the morn: Refrain
The holly bears a bark,
As bitter as the gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to redeem us all: Refrain
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown: Refrain
The song "The Holly and the Ivy" appears to be a traditional English Christmas carol that dates back to the early 19th century. The opening line of the song speaks of holly and ivy "working out their words," which may refer to the natural world preparing for the arrival of Christmas. The next lines describe Jesus getting "caught up in the woods," which could represent the Christian idea of Christ being born in a humble manger.
However, the song moves quickly away from this narrative, and the remaining verses describe how the holly and ivy were used in ancient pagan rituals. The various qualities of the holly (blossoms, berries, prickles, and bark) are each paired with the birthing of Jesus and his eventual role as a redeemer of sinners. The final verse speaks to the importance of holly in pagan culture, stating that "of all trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown."
Overall, "The Holly and the Ivy" is a song that combines both Christian and pagan themes, making it an interesting artifact of English culture during the Christmas season.
Line by Line Meaning
The holly and the ivy,
The holly plant and ivy plant
Were working out their words.
Were interacting with each other
When something Happened poor Jesus christ,
When an unfortunate event happened to Jesus Christ
Got caught up in the woods:
Jesus Christ was lost in the woods
O, the rising of the sun,
Oh, the sunrise
And the running of the deer
And the movement of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The joyful sound of the organ instrument
Sweet singing in the choir.
Pleasant singing by the choir
The holly bears a blossom,
The holly plant produces flowers
As white as lily flow'are,
The flowers are as white as lily flowers
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
And Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ
To be our dear Saviour: Refrain
To save us from sin and be our beloved savior
The holly bears a berry,
The holly plant produces berries
As red as any blood,
The berries are as red as blood
To do poor sinners good: Refrain
To do good for those who are sinners
The holly bears a prickle,
The holly plant has thorns
As sharp as any thorn,
The thorns are as sharp as any thorn
On Christmas Day in the morn: Refrain
On the morning of Christmas Day
The holly bears a bark,
The holly plant has a bark
As bitter as the gall,
The bark is as bitter as gall
For to redeem us all: Refrain
To save us all from sin and its consequences
The holly and the ivy,
The holly and ivy plants
When they are both full grown,
When they have both matured
Of all trees that are in the wood,
Of all the trees in the wood
The holly bears the crown: Refrain
The holly plant is seen as the most superior
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nazma Islam
Im a Muslim and so dont celebrate Christmas, but have to say that this is one of my all time favourite christmas carol, it brings back memories of when i when i was a young girl at school and singing christmas carols at assembly. it didnt matter that i wasnt a Christian, I loved Christmas time when I was a girl, its such a pity its too commercialised these days!
Blessed Virgin Mary Is Queen
The music is very beautiful, but what is even more beautiful is the truth of the lyrics proclaiming Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary, as the Savior of the world.
Victoria Fehrholz
Oh my gosh. This is so beautiful. We watched a Christmas in Europe video in World Languages today, and this song played, and it's been stuck in my head all day. This and Carol of the Bells are definitely my favorite Christmas Carols :) ♥
Walter Fechter
My grand mum used to play this tune every Christmas time. She told me what the tune meant. Thank you, Gran. I love you forever!
sandwichguy
Ca. You share please thank you.
Walter Fechter
@sandwichguy -- Holly is a naturalistic way of signifying the divine nature of Jesus and His Mother Mary. I've heard it said that this tune was a combination of pagan nature worship and Christianity -- like the putting up of an evergreen tree each December. The evergreen tree; since they always appear green with no shedding of leaves; is a symbol of never-ending life. My grand mum just thought of this tune as simply a way of remembering and honouring The Christ. I, too, view this song in the same way. Take care. God in Christ be with you. -- W
Allen Murray
Blessed Be💚❤️💚
Walter Fechter
@Allen Murray -- Many thanks! Likewise!
Tarun
God bless you. Was your grand mother English? This song originated in England many years ago.
Dawnrobin5
Wow this is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard! The arrangement and the instruments are incredible.