December 13: Coventry Carol | The King’s Singers

Carol #3 in my trio of carols is Coventry Carol. This carol goes back to the 16th century and was traditionally sung a cappella by three males but is more common today being sung by three females. The author is unknown.

This carol was originally performed for many years in the city of Coventry, England as part of a play called “The Pageant of the Sherman and Tailors.” Part of the play depicts when Herod learned of Christ’s birth. He insisted the wise men return to him so that he could worship the “King of the Jews.” The wise men received divine warning to not return to Herod, so they took another route home. When they didn’t return, Herod ordered the death of all boys under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. This time of bloodshed has been termed by the world as the “Massacre of the Innocents.”

This carol depicts the mothers of Bethlehem singing a lullaby to their doomed infant sons.

I know this carol sounds eerie and haunting and it is! The poor mothers of Bethlehem must have been haunted by the thought of the king’s men coming and slaying their sons. Like it or not, this is part of the Christmas story. Satan did not want Jesus to enter the world and King Herod was his pawn.

Check out this painter's depiction of the killing of the babies.

Fortunately, Joseph had been warned in a dream to flee with Mary and her baby to Egypt and so Jesus was spared. Joseph was told by an angel in another dream when it was safe to return following the death of King Herod.

Some things I like about this song/arrangement:

• This carol is known for containing a Picardy third.
• Did you notice the dissonant chords throughout this song? (I know my wife “loves” them…not!) I like how the arranger uses dissonance in this song. Dissonance is an “unstable tone combination. Its tension demands an onward motion to a more stable chord. Thus dissonant chords are active; traditionally they have been considered harsh and have expressed pain, grief, and conflict” (source) How fitting it is to hear dissonance supporting the pain, grief and conflict in the text! Before I studied this song, I didn’t understand its use.
• I like how this version repeats the first verse of "lully, lullays etc" at the end.
• Notice the dissonant chords move to that more stable chord at the very end. Such a happy chord—Picardy third!

The beauty in this grief-filled carol is that even though all those “Innocents” died, the baby Jesus was not one of them and because He lived, all of those sweet babies (including us) will live again!

If you have heard this carol before but didn’t know the meaning, how does this change the way you feel about this carol? Do you know of any other songs that capture the sorrow of the families in Bethlehem? Please leave a comment below.

Coventry Carol

Lully, 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 do 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 young children to slay.

That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!

And ever mourn and day,

For thy parting neither say nor sing,

Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

Text by: unknown

Arrangement by: The King's Singers

An interesting fact about this song is that it was featured on the BBC’s Empire Broadcast during Christmas in 1940 shortly after the Bombing of Coventry, England in World War 2. The broadcast concluded with the singing of this carol in the bombed-out ruins of Coventry Cathedral.