The Coventry Carol
Anuna (Holiday) Lyrics
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By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Oh sisters two, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Herod the king, in his raging
Charged he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
That woe is me, poor child for thee
And ever mourn and sigh
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
By by lully lullay
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
The Coventry Carol is an old Christmas carol dating back to the 16th century. It is a lullaby that tells the story of the massacre of the innocents, which is referenced in the Bible's New Testament in Matthew 2:16-18. The lyrics of the song are split into three parts, and each part is sung in a lullaby-like manner. The first stanza asks the infant Christ to sleep, while the second is a dialogue between two sisters who are trying to figure out how to keep the baby safe. The third stanza is the most chilling verse, as it tells of the massacre of the innocents by King Herod.
The reference to "lully lullay" is thought to be an onomatopoeic representation of a lullaby. The use of this phrase throughout the song also emphasizes the idea of a lullaby being sung to soothe a child. The sisters in the song are portrayed as being helpless in their attempts to protect the baby, while King Herod is depicted as a ruthless and tyrannical ruler whose only aim is to maintain his power. The song ends on a note of sadness and sorrow for the loss of innocent life.
Line by Line Meaning
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
Sleep peacefully, oh little, tiny infant
By by lully lullay
Bye, bye lullaby (used to soothe a child to sleep)
Thou little tiny child
Oh, little, helpless child
Oh sisters two, how may we do
Two sisters are worried about how to protect and save the little child
For to preserve this day
To keep this day, the day of the child's birth, special and safe
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
The sisters sing for this poor little baby
Herod the king, in his raging
Herod the king is very angry and agitated about something
Charged he hath this day
He orders something to be done on this particular day
His men of might in his own sight
He orders his powerful soldiers to be present there
All young children to slay
He commands that all the young children be killed
That woe is me, poor child for thee
The sisters feel immense sorrow for the child and what is happening to him
And ever mourn and sigh
They will always grieve and feel sad
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
They won't be able to sing or say goodbye to the child because of what is happening
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOLLY, EVAN / TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@iqueenbee1
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
O sisters, too, how may we do
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Herod the King, in his raging
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight
All children young, to slay
Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee
And ever mourn and say
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
@kenshin8113
Here I am
Looking for the Christmas hymn I liked so much as a kid
This is not one of them
As I've never heard of it till now
But whatever, added to my Christmas song list, anyway!
Also great song! I love it! Sorrowful yet hopeful tone!
@rachelmclinden3995
Chorus (after each verse):
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Oh sisters two, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
By by lully lullay
Herod the king, in his raging
Charged he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay
That woe is me, poor child for thee
And ever mourn and sigh
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
By by lully lullay
@shmoogie31
I love this song. My Mom used to sing this song to my siblings and I every night at bedtime. I have found memories of this song. Hearing tonight for the first time in a long time, I am brought to tears. This song is so beautiful and haunting. Powerful , yet elegant.
Merry Christmas all. Be well, and be safe. Here's to a happy 2022! ❤
@matthewhopkins7042
I can't help but notice the menorah front and centre in a Christian church singing a Christian carol. Kind of disgusting. Worse still they have it literally placed atop a Christian grave, desecrating it and the church. I hang my head in shame at what we allow them to do to us, the ritual humiliation of our people and our faith at the hands of the subversive evil.
@MarciaMatthews
This ancient Carol was composed by a guild for a festival. Dedicated to the children of Sandy Hook.
@PatriceFitzgerald
You are ignorant, antisemitic, or both. Take a look at your Bible and revelations 1:12 for the seven candlesticks.
@IexoPeoa
@Matthew Hopkins That's not a grave, Jews follow the same God Christians do, the menorah has been part of it since the time of Moses and was designed by God (Exodus 25:31-40, Numbers 8:1-4), and the carol is a lament for the slaughter of Jewish babies by a Roman-installed puppet king.
@nadomaya37
A beautiful carol, but seems an odd choice for a lullaby… the story of children being slaughtered. Did you ever understand the words when you were little?
@rickywheeler6054
Breathtakingly beautiful. Praises be to Christ Jesus 🙏 Amen.
@paulsurbitonryan9632
My God...this is so powerful...it resonates on ever level...those who are children themselves ... those on the verge of growing up... those who have loved and lost and will depart this world childless... those who are mothers who know pain and joy... so united in brokenness... the cowardice of men and soldiers against defenceless babies... the solidarity of broken women who sound like angels... the dark lullaby that rocks hearts to sleep and some to sleep for evermore... the dark divide traversed by a lullaby... a child is never truly alone... Sisters indeed... know that there are brothers who weep with you.
@johnhaggerty4396
As far as I know there is no historic evidence for the slaughter of the innocents, and I speak as one who believes in the historicity of the Gospels, the Incarnation, and the integrity of the canonical works of the New Testament, as did the theologians who influenced me -
Benjamin Warfield, Gresham Machen, Carl Henry, Jim Packer, R.C. Sproul, Donald Macleod. This is the dark divide traversed by a medieval lullaby as you say so memorably, haunting and exquisitely sung by Anuna. The narrative is appalling and true to the world of Later Antiquity. Because there is no evidence outside the Gospels for this atrocity does not mean it never happened, alas.
@CP-ll6qg
@John Haggerty true--but I don't think the spirit of this comment is really affected by the historical accuracy (or lack thereof) of the event. They're talking about emotions (and how brutal humans can be) and solidarity basically, they don't really claim the story is fact.