Lyrics/Liner Notes: Love Came Down at Christmas
1. Love Came Down at Christmas
2. Cherry Tree Carol
3. Good King Wenceslas – Instrumental
4. Mary Had a Baby
5. The Friendly Beasts
6. Brightest and Best
7. Silent Night – Instrumental
8. Sans Day Carol or The Holly Song
9. Coventry Carol
10. In the Bleak Mid-Winter – Instrumental
11. Children Go Where I Send Thee
1. Love Came Down at Christmas (words by Christina Rossetti circa 1885, traditional Irish tune “Garton”)
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Love Came Down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all of us,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
2. Cherry Tree Carol (English, Child Ballad No. 54. January 6 is old Christmas)
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee.
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee.
Then Mary said to Joseph, so meek and so mild,
“Joseph gather me some cherries, for I am with child.”
“Joseph gather me some cherries, for I am with child.”
Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he,
“Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee.”
“Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee.”
And Jesus spoke a few words, a few words spoke he.
“O give my mother cherries, bow down, cherry tree!”
“O give my mother cherries, bow down, cherry tree!”
“Bow down, cherry tree, low down to the ground.”
And Mary gathered cherries, and Joseph stood around.
And Mary gathered cherries, and Joseph stood around.
Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee,
“Oh tell me, little baby, when thy birthday will be.”
“Oh tell me, little baby, when thy birthday will be.”
“On the sixth of January my birthday will be,
When the starts in the elements will tremble with glee.
When the starts in the elements will tremble with glee.”
3. Good King Wenceslas – Instrumental (based on a Finish tune from the 16th century)
4. Mary Had a Baby (African American, coastal South Carolina)
Mary had a baby, oh Lord,
Mary had a baby, oh my Lord,
Mary had a baby, oh Lord,
People keep a-comin’ and the train done gone.
What did she name him? oh Lord …
Named him King Jesus, oh Lord …
Where did she lay him, oh Lord …
Laid him in a manger, oh Lord …
Shepherds came to see him, oh Lord …
Angels watchin’ over, oh Lord …
5. The Friendly Beasts (English, Appalachian Kentucky version)
Jesus our brother, kind and good
was humbly born in a stable rude.
The friendly beasts around him stood,
Jesus our brother, kind and good.
“I,” said the donkey, all shaggy and brown,
I carried his mother up hill and down;
I carried her safely to Bethlehem town.”
“I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.
“I,” said the cow, all white and red,
“I gave him my manger for a bed;
I gave him my hay to pillow his head.”
“I,” said the cow, all white and red.
“I,” said the sheep with curly horn,
“I gave him my wool for a blanket warm;
he wore my coat on Christmas morn.”
“I,” said the sheep with curly horn.
“I,” said the dove from the rafters high,
“I cooed him to sleep so he would not cry;
we cooed him to sleep, my mate and I.”
“I,” said the dove from the rafters high.
So every beast by some good spell
in the stable rude was glad to tell
of the gift he gave Emmanuel,
the gift he gave Emmanuel.
6. Brightest and Best (Appalachian Kentucky folk hymn, words by Reginald Heber, 1811)
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid;
star of the East, the horizon adorning,
guide where our infant redeemer is laid.
Cold on his cradle the dewdrops are shining;
low lies his head with the beasts of the stall.
Angels adore him in slumber reclining,
maker and monarch and savior of all!
Shall we not yield him, in costly devotion,
odors of Edom and offerings divine?
Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean,
myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?
Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
vainly with gifts would his favor secure.
Richer by far is the heart’s adoration,
dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.
7. Silent Night – Instrumental (tune by Franz Gruber, 1818)
8. Sans Day Carol or The Holly Song (Cornwall, England)
Oh the holly bears a berry as white as the milk
and Mary had a baby who was wrapped up in silk.
And Mary had a baby, our savior for to be,
and the first tree of the greenwood, it was the holly.
Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,
at the end of the summer as the fall comes to pass.
And Mary had a baby, our savior for to be,
and the first tree of the greenwood, it was the holly.
Now the holly bears a berry of crimson so bright
to give our hearts ease in the long winter night.
And Mary had a baby, our savior for to be,
and the first tree of the greenwood, it was the holly.
Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal
when the seeds of the spring are asleep in the snow.
And Mary had a baby, our savior for to be,
and the first tree of the greenwood, it was the holly.
9. Coventry Carol (from a 15th century guild drama, Coventry, England)
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 young thing for whom we sing, bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Herod the king, in his raging, charged he hat 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.
10. In the Bleak Midwinter – Instrumental (tune by Gustav Holst, 1906)
11. Children Go Where I Send Thee (African American)
Children, go where I send thee.
How shall I send thee?
I’m gonna send thee one by one
One for the little bitty baby
born, born, born in Bethlehem.
Two for Paul and Silas …
Three for the Hebrew children …
Four for the four that stood at the door…
Five for the gospel preachers…
Six for the six that never got fixed…
Seven for the seven that went to heaven…
Eight for the eight that stood at the gate…
Nine for the nine who dressed so fine …
Ten for the ten commandments…
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All songs are in the public domain. Arrangements © 2009, Liz McGeachy and Tim Marema. Lyrics and liner notes available at www.lizandtim.org.
Recorded and produced by Liz & Tim / Tim Marema: Guitar, Vocals / Liz McGeachy: Vocals
About the guitars: Tim plays a ca. 1959 Gibson LG2 on most of the tracks. The guitar was a gift from his father in law, Pat McGeachy. Pat, so the story goes, got the instrument as a gift from a funeral director in Nashville in the mid to late 1960s. Tim plays a 2003 Taylor 714 (claro/English walnut) on tracks 8, 9, and 11.
We recorded this album in 2009 in our basement in Norris, Tennessee.