THE HOLLY AND THE IVY
Westminster Abbey Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
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 berry,
As sweet as any flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our sweet savior.
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 berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to do us sinners good.
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 prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
On Christmas day in the morn'.
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 bark,
As bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
For to redeem us all.
The rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
"The Holly and The Ivy" is a traditional Christmas carol that has been performed by numerous artists, including the Westminster Abbey Choir, whose version is the focus of this analysis. The lyrics are steeped in religious symbolism and tell the story of the birth of Jesus and the significance of the holly and ivy plants during Christmas time.
The first verse remarks on how the holly, once it reaches maturity, outshines all of the trees in the woods and "bears the crown." The second and third verses explain how the holly represents Jesus Christ and specifically mentions his birth, as "Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ, to be our sweet savior." The fourth verse highlights the prickliness of the holly as a parallel to the thorns on Jesus' crown, while the fifth verse mentions that the bark of the holly is bitter, signifying the bitterness of Christ's sacrifice. Overall, the lyrics reflect on the religious significance of Christmas, the story of Jesus' birth, and the symbolism of nature during this time of year.
Line by Line Meaning
The holly and the ivy,
The holly plant and the ivy plant,
When they are both full grown,
When they reach maturity,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
Out of all the trees in the forest,
The holly bears the crown.
The holly is the superior tree.
The rising of the sun,
The sun coming up,
And the running of the deer,
The deer running through the woods,
The playing of the merry organ,
The sound of the festive organ music,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The beautiful voices of the choir singing.
The holly bears a berry,
On the holly tree hangs a berry,
As sweet as any flower,
This berry is as sweet as a flower is beautiful,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ was born to Mary,
To be our sweet savior.
Jesus Christ has come to earth to save us.
The holly bears a berry,
On the holly tree hangs a berry,
As red as any blood,
This berry is as red as blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ was born to Mary,
For to do us sinners good.
Jesus Christ has come to Earth to help us in our sinful state.
The holly bears a prickle,
On the holly tree, there is a thorn,
As sharp as any thorn,
This thorn is very sharp,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ was born to Mary,
On Christmas day in the morn'.
He was born in the morning on Christmas Day.
The holly bears a bark,
There is bark on the holly tree,
As bitter as any gall,
This bark is very bitter,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ was born to Mary,
For to redeem us all.
Jesus Christ has come to Earth to redeem us all.
The rising of the sun,
The sun coming up,
And the running of the deer,
The deer running through the woods,
The playing of the merry organ,
The sound of the festive organ music,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The beautiful voices of the choir singing.
The playing of the merry organ,
The sound of the festive organ music,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The beautiful voices of the choir singing.
Lyrics © HELENE BLUE MUSIQUE LTD
Written by: NICK MUNRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Inglesepertutti
This is just the way I remember it from my schooldays! Magical! Thank you.
john uhr-henry
A great version of this great C/Carol. Brilliant work from the Choir and accompaniment.
Hudson Bailey
Rich with beauty is this carol. Thank you, Westminster Abbey Choir.
tony baker
The most beautiful carol, sung wonderfully - thank you
William Ripley
Perfect pitch.Well loved carol in Nova Scotia, Canada.
joonteacher
Anyone know where I can find the sheet music for this? It is simply beautiful!
josparkes1
I doubt whether any choir could beat this one for its beauty and Holiness and religious fervour !!!
ellie
Wrong!
josparkes1
Eleanor Whitfield If you can tell me one that sounds better it would very difficult to believe that !!
Kees Klaver
Great singing, lovely pics. Thanks!