The Holly and the Ivy
St Paul's Cathedral Choir Lyrics
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When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
"The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British Christmas carol that dates back to the 18th century. It is believed that the song originated in rural England, where holly and ivy were commonly used to decorate homes during the Christmas season. The lyrics of the song describe the symbolism of holly and ivy in Christianity and the birth of Jesus Christ.
The first verse of the song talks about how the holly tree bears the crown amongst all the trees in the woods when it is fully grown. The holly represents Jesus Christ, who was crowned with thorns before his crucifixion. The second verse talks about the white blossom of the holly, which symbolizes the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus. The red berry in the third verse represents the blood of Jesus that was shed for the salvation of sinners. The fourth verse talks about the prickle of the holly, which symbolizes the crown of thorns that Jesus wore at the time of his crucifixion. The final verse describes the bitter bark of the holly and its significance in the redemption of mankind through the birth of Jesus.
The refrain of the song repeats the phrase "O the rising of the sun and the running of the deer, the playing of the merry organ, sweet singing of the choir." This phrase is believed to be a reference to ancient pagan rituals that were celebrated during the winter solstice. It also emphasizes the joy and merriment associated with the Christmas season.
Line by Line Meaning
The holly and the ivy,
The subject of the song is the holly and ivy plants
When they are both full grown
When the plants are fully matured
Of all the trees that are in the wood
Out of all the trees in the forest
The holly bears the crown
The holly plant is the most prominent and important of all the trees
O the rising of the sun
Oh, when the sun rises
And the running of the deer
And the deer running through the forest
The playing of the merry organ
The joyful sound of the organ being played
Sweet singing of the choir
The delightful voices of the choir singing harmoniously
The holly bears a blossom
The holly plant produces a white flower-like blossom
As white as lily flower
This blossom is as white as a lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, who is known as our Savior
To be our sweet Saviour
Jesus was sent to earth to save us from our sins
The holly bears a berry
The holly plant produces a red berry
As red as any blood
This berry is as red as blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, who is known as our Savior
To do poor sinners good
Jesus came to help poor sinners and do good deeds
The holly bears a prickle
The holly plant has prickles or thorns
As sharp as any thorn;
These prickles are as sharp as thorns
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, who is known as our Savior
On Christmas Day in the morn.
This happened on Christmas morning
The holly bears a bark
The holly plant has a bitter bark
As bitter as any gall;
This bark is as bitter as gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, who is known as our Savior
For to redeem us all.
Jesus was born to save us all
The holly and the ivy
Both the holly and ivy plants
Now both are full well grown,
Now that they are matured
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
Out of all the trees in the forest
The holly bears the crown.
The holly plant is the most prominent and important of all the trees
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LALO SCHIFRIN, . TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arturo Di Baglioni
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a blossom,
As white as lily flow'r,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our dear Saviour
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To do poor sinners good
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
On Christmas Day in the morn
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a bark,
As bitter as the gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to redeem us all
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
murihiku
+Morrigan “warhelm” Ravenchild
LEt forrain nations of their language boast,
What fine varietie each tongue affords:
I like our language, as our men and coast:
Who cannot dresse it well, want wit, not words.
How neatly doe we give one onely name
To parents issue and the sunnes bright starre!
A sonne is light and fruit; a fruitfull flame
Chasing the fathers dimnesse, carri’d farre
From the first man in th’ East, to fresh and new
Western discov’ries of posteritie.
So in one word our Lords humilitie
We turn upon him in a sense most true:
For what Christ once in humblenesse began,
We him in glorie call, The Sonne of Man. (George Herbert 1633)
Arturo Di Baglioni
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a blossom,
As white as lily flow'r,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our dear Saviour
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To do poor sinners good
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
On Christmas Day in the morn
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly bears a bark,
As bitter as the gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to redeem us all
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Jo-Anne Farley
My favourite Christmas song.
Chris Lassiter
Mine too. I have a big tract of land with a ton of hollies on it. Every time I go there in the winter I think of this song.
A-Plus Computer Services
At the 5:00 mark we see and hear from young Master Peter Auty, the treble who originally performed Howard Blake's "Walking in the Air" from the British Christmas cartoon classic "The Snowman". A very talented lad indeed!
epicrapfan73
And Aled Jones got all the credit for it!
Hudson Bailey
Indeed this is one of my favorite carols.
John Brantley
A truly great Carol! Godspeed!
Susan Sirridge
Fantastic! My gosh..I wish I could sing...but since I can't grateful others can!
AshGamerYT
I can sing like that
Arturo Di Baglioni
One of my favorites! Fantastic!