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Taking time to live well
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Photography: Getty Images

Photography: Getty Images

Pedantry | Christmas carols

Iona Bower December 21, 2019

From misheard lyrics, to misspelled words to misplaced punctuation, here are a few carols that aren’t quite as they used to be.

 

Hark! The who?

Originally called ‘Hymn for Christmas Day’, the words by Charles Wesley opened with: ‘Hark how all the Welkin rings’. Wolcen is an old English word meaning ‘sky’ or ‘heavens’ so refer to the heavens ringing. But as time went on, few people knew what a Welkin was. The words we know today: ‘Hark! The herald angels sing’ came about when George Whitefield rewrote the carol in 1754.

Four which birds?

You didn’t imagine it. When you were little it was definitely ‘Four colly birds’ in ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. A colly bird is another name for a blackbird (presumably to go with your partridge, French hens and turtle doves). The song was originally published as a rhyme, without music, in 1780. In a 1909 version by Frederic Austin, which set the rhyme to the tune we know today, the colly birds were changed to ‘calling’ birds, or songbirds. Blackbirds are known for their pretty song so it was only really the name that was changed, not the beast itself. The two versions are both still sung but as time goes on we’re hearing more calling birds than colly birds. Make a stand at your next carol concert and bring those colly birds back!

 

Mysterious merry gentlemen

God rest ye merry gentlemen. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Gentlemen tend to get a bit merry at Christmas. Might do them good to have a bit of a sit down and a night off the sauce?

In fact, the phrase means something more like: ‘Stay mighty, old chaps.’

The song has its roots in the Middle Ages, when ‘merry’ meant ‘mighty’ (think of Robin Hood’s merry men) and ‘rest’ meant ‘stay’. So ‘rest you merry’ means ‘stay strong’.

At some point in the carol’s history a comma also dropped off, concealing the fact that the words don’t mean ‘Stay, merry gentlemen’ but rather ‘God keep you strong, gentlemen’.

We don’t know about you, but we rather need a tipple after all that, too.

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InThink Tagsissue 90, December, carols, Christmas, Christmas fun
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Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

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Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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