carol – Jules P Richards

The Sans Day Carol or St Day Carol is a traditional Cornish carol from the village of St Day in the mining area near Redruth.

I’m a Camborne boy but as many Camborne boys did (those that didn’t aim as high as Truro) spent a deal of teenaged time in the Redruth area. Ah… happy daze. Never did a Christmas pass without hearing this tune, among other Cornish chestnuts, being sung somewhere.

Not that I know much about it, but the original Cornish words for this song fell from use. A renewed interest in the Cornish language has seen the cornish words somewhat revived.

Rather like the Holly ‘something’ lives on…
Going through the annual stages of the berry’s colours? Birth “white as the milk”, energetically vibrantly “green as the grass”, humanly physically “blood-red” and deeply deadly “black as the coal”…

What is ‘it’ I wonder, much more than a jingly crimbly festive cheer…

Long live the holly!

Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk, And Mary bore Jesus all wrapped up in silk.

And Mary bore Jesus, a saviour for to be, And the first tree in the greenwood it was the holly
Holly, holly, And the first tree in the greenwood it was the holly

Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass, And Mary she bore Jesus who died on a cross.

Now the holly bears a berry as blood it is red, And Mary bore Jesus who rose? from the dead.

Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal, And Mary bore Jesus who died for us all.

Cornish chorus: forgive my ignorance but it’s sumt’ like this

Ha Mam o an Maghteth, Marya Mam Dew, Ha gwedhen an gwella, an gelynen yu
Kelyn, Kelyn, Ha gwedhen an gwella an gelynen yu.