Down In Yon Forrest

Traditional English
Tune and text collected by
Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958

Джоан Баэз пропустила 4-й куплет (см. комментарий о крови)
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Down in yon forest there stands a hall:
   The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
It's covered all over with purple and pall
   And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

In that hall there stands a bed:
   The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
It's covered all over with scarlet so red:
   And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

At the bed-side there lies a stone:
   The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
Which the sweet Virgin Mary knelt upon:
   And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

Under that bed there runs a flood:
   The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
The one half runs water, the other runs blood:
   And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

At the bed's foot there grows a thorn:
   The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
Which ever blows blossom since he was born:
   And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

Over that bed the moon shines bright:
   The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
Denoting our Saviour was born this night:
   And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.

------------
Bruce Cockburn writes:
If there were a contest for the title of the spookiest Christmas carol,
this ought to win hands down. 
Collected earlier in this century by John Jacob Niles,
it hails from North Carolina.
I believe it to be of great age, though,
both because of the melodic style and because of the lyrics,
which resonate with the Grail myth,
and with the ancient custom of every few years
draining the blood out of one's king onto the soil
to ensure its continuing fertility.

Bruce Cockburn, christmas (Truth North Productions, 1990).



---------------------------
(traditional, arr. by John Jacob Niles in 1935)
(According to Niles, collected in Cherokee County, North Carolina)

1. Down in yon forest be a hall,
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
'Tis coverlided over with purple and pall.
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!

2. Oh in that hall is a pallet bed:
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
'Tis stained with blood like cardinal red.
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!

3. And at that pallet is a stone
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
On which the Virgin did atone
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!

4. Under that Hall is a gushing flood:
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
From Christ's own side 'tis water and blood.
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!

5. Beside that bed a shrub tree grows,
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
Since He was born hit blooms and blows.
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!

6. Oh, on that bed a young Squire sleeps,
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
His wounds are sick, and see, he weeps.
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!

7. Oh hail yon Hall were none can sin,
    Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
Cause hit's gold outside and silver within,
    Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!


-----------



Down in yon forest there stands a hall
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
It's covered all over with purple and pall
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything

In that hall there stands a bed
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
It's covered all over with scarlet so red
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything

At the bed side there lies a stone
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
The sweet Virgin Mary … upon
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything

At the bed's foot there grows a thorn
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
Which ever blows blossom since He was born
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything

Over that bed the moon shines bright
The bells of paradise I hear them ring
… our Savior was born this night
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything

----------
from other versions

and under that hall is a gushing flood
from christ's own side hit's water and blood

and by that bed a shrub tree grows
since he was born hit blooms and blows

and on that bed a young squire sleeps
his wounds are sick, and see, he weeps

o hail yon hall where none can sin
'cause hit's gold outside and silver within




-----------
from iNet discussion

(per Malcolm:This text was quoted from John Jacob Niles, who copyrighted it in 1935,
apparently, though he made no claim to have written it.
I don't have the relevant book, so I don't know who he said he had collected it from,
though it seems that he got it in North Carolina;
however, an almost identical text, with tune,
was published in the Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, vol.4, number 3, 1942.
It had been noted in 1936 by Ralph Vaughan Williams
from the singing of the folklorist Evelyn Wells,
who learned it from Amos Curtis of Brasstown, North Carolina.
Midi made from RVW's notation. There are a few minor textual differences;
none greater than might be expected and not worth noting here
(assuming the DT file to be a correct quote from Niles).
Perhaps at some point in the future somebody who has the Niles music can compare the two;
I expect them to be pretty much the same.)


the refrain lines are:
sing may, queen may, sing mary
sing all good men for the newborn baby


verses:

down in yon forest be a hall
'tis coverlidded over with purple and pall

and in that hall is a pallet bed
'tis stained with blood a scarlet red

and by that bed there lies a stone
on which the virgin did atone

and under that hall is a gushing flood
from christ's own side hit's water and blood

and by that bed a shrub tree grows
since he was born hit blooms and blows

and on that bed a young squire sleeps
his wounds are sick, and see, he weeps

o hail yon hall where none can sin
'cause hit's gold outside and silver within

indeed collected and arranged by John Jacob Niles, and
the copyright (1935) must therefore refer to the arrangement. the tune is
quite different from the corpus christi carol...