For most, the world of Christmas carols is limited to about 10 sacred songs and 10 pop songs. This tedious rotation plays in malls and churches and on radio stations. Very occasionally a new song enters the canon of carols, whether it be the pleasant pop “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” or the unfortunate quasi-sacred “Mary Don't You Know.” But in general, it's more of the same, year after year, album after album, whether it's a country version of “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” a Cajun version of “The Carol of the Bells,” or a heavy metal version of “The Little Drummer Boy.” There are many versions, but very few songs.
Which is a shame, because beyond the limited canon are some amazingly beautiful and amazingly interesting songs that provide a different “soundtrack for the season” and different insights into the Christmas story. Carol writers of years past have portrayed Christmas celebrations very different from ours, and have pictured the nativity story with an earthiness, frankness, and humanness that would probably disturb many of the defenders of “traditional Christmas.”
One of the best of these for my money is “The Cherry Tree Carol.” The early American ballad, traced before the 16th Century, tells a story not seen in any of the Gospels (though it is credited to an apocryphal Gospel). There are many variations of the lyrics, but these seem the most common.
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee.
When Joseph and Mary were walking one day,
Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold.
Then Mary spoke to Joseph so meek and so mild:
“Joseph, gather me some cherries, for I am with child.”
Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger he flew:
“O let the father of the baby gather cherries for you.”
Well, the cherry-tree bowed low down, bowed down to the ground,
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down.
Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee,
Crying, “Lord, have mercy for what I have done.”
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee.
The Holy Family is always portrayed in popular carols as ivory figures, pure, stoic, and completely in sync with God and with each other. The infancy narrative in Luke makes a brief reference to Joseph wanting to “quietly divorce” Mary when she is found with child, but one verse later after a visit from an angel in a dream, he is completely on board and never says or does another questioning act in the Gospel as he quickly fades into obscurity. “The Cherry Tree Carol” gives me a Joseph that I can understand, bitter, resentful, and sarcastic. A simple request becomes an opportunity to continue a broader argument. In this version, the branches come down on their own, suggesting that the father of the child did indeed bring cherries to the mother. In some versions Mary calls upon the child in her womb, who orders the branches to bow down in a most awkward joining of mother and son against the father. Even Mary doesn't come off that immaculately, as there is a clear smugness to her victory (in another version she announces, “Look Joseph, I have cherries!”). Joseph's repentance at the end brings this story to a happy end, but does not suggest that the couple will never quarrel again.
This is truly great stuff, certainly better than “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.”
Two notes
1. I read a very wonderful article about many unfamiliar, and to our thinking strange, Christmas carols you ban find here “The Cherry Tree Carol” is mentioned in this article, but I had already intended to write about it. Still you will likely enjoy it, and there are good links to YouTube videos of all of the songs.
2. I saw a concert this evening of the group Anonymous 4, known for their beautiful renditions of traditional music. I was surprised and pleased to see “The Cherry Tree Carol” on the program. Interestingly, they changed the first verse to say Joseph was a young man, which suggests another dynamic entirely.
As always, I welcome your comments.
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