Green Grow the Rushes, O
Encyclopedia
Green Grow The Rushes, Ho (or O) (aka The Twelve Prophets, or The Carol Of The Twelve Numbers, or The Teaching Song, or The Dilly Song), is a folk song
(Roud
#133) popular across the English-speaking world. It is sometimes sung as a Christmas carol
. The song is not to be confused with Robert Burns
' Green Grow The Rashes, O, with which it shares only the title. It is cumulative
in structure, with each verse built up from the previous verse by appending a new stanza
. The first verse is:
Green grow the rushes, Ho
What is your one, Ho?
One is one and all alone
And evermore shall be (it) so.
catechesis, astronomical mnemonics, and what may very well be pagan cosmology
.
The song's origins are uncertain.
"Green grow the rushes, Ho (or O)" sounds sufficiently out of place that one is inclined to ascribe it to the same origin as "Fine flowers in the valley" in one version of the ballad The Cruel Mother
– namely, an attempt to turn a mistaken line of Gaelic
into its nearest English
phonetic equivalent.
This refers to the twelve Apostles of Jesus
, although the number has other meanings; it may originally have referred to the months of the year, for example.
These are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful (minus Judas Iscariot
), or possibly St Ursula
and her companions.
This refers to the ten commandments
given to Moses
.
The nine may be an astronomical reference: the Sun, Moon and five planets known before 1781 yields seven and to this may be added the sphere of the fixed stars and the Empyrean
. It could potentially refer to the nine orders (or 'choirs') of angels
.
The April rainers refer to the Hyades
star cluster, called the 'rainy Hyades' in classical
times, and rising with the sun in April – the Greeks
thought of them as inaugurating the April rains. "Eight bold rangers" is probably a recent corruption.
The seven are probably either the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades
star cluster, or perhaps Ursa Major
, the Big Dipper
. They may also be the planets or other stars. Alternatively, the seven stars may be those referred to in Revelation
chapter 1. They are first cited in verse 16 as being held in the right hand of Christ and then explained as referring to seven angels of the seven early Christian
churches. The seven stars could also be a reference to the Jewish cross, which is also a constellation over Israel.
The six seems to be a historical reference, but remains obscure. It is possible that they were members of a Saxon
warband who beat the bounds of their fortified camp in a traditional way between AD 450 and 1066. Perhaps it is a Biblical reference to Ezekiel
9:2 - six men with swords come in a vision of the prophet to slaughter the people, whose leaders (8:16) have committed such sins as turning East to worship the Sun, and "have filled the land with violence". It may also be a corruption of 'waters', but what "the six bold waters" would refer to remains elusive.
This probably alludes to the practice of putting a pentagram
at the door of a house to ward off witches and evil spirits; this was relatively common in the late Middle Ages
and the Early Modern period
, and is alluded to in no shortage of literary works from or set in those eras. It can also refer to the five books of Moses
- the pentateuch. An alternative interpretation is given by John Timpson
in his book Timpson's England, where he states that it refers to five symbols displayed above the doorways of houses that would shelter Catholic
priests. He gives an example a house where these can still be seen. The symbols above the door could also mean the mezuzah
, which contains a section of the Torah
and is inscribed with symbols.
This refers to the four Evangelist
s, Mathew
, Mark
, Luke
and John
.
Some have suggested that the three alluded to here are the Trinity
, but this leaves "the rivals" unexplained. It could also refer to the three major religious traditions of Islam
, Judaism
and Christianity
, or to the synoptic gospel
s of Matthew, Mark and Luke, alluding to the previous line. These three give similar though slightly different accounts of the life of Christ. The "three rivals" could also be Peter, James and John, who are often mentioned together in the Gospels and at one time: "A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest" (Luke 22:24). However, only James and John are mentioned asking for special treatment in Mark 10:35-45, James and John's mother asks for her sons to have special treatment in Matthew 20:20-28, and the passage in Luke 22:24 uses a generic "them" to refer to all of the disciples. Peter is the next person spoken to by Jesus, but the ensuing conversation does not seem to refer to the discussion of a rivalry among the disciples. Pastor Paul Kolch of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sacramento taught that the three referred to Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego, who resisted burning in the fiery furnace and were "rivals" to the Babylonians.
Some suggest it refers to three similar and adjacent mountains in Wales
, Yr Eifl
.
It has also been suggested that "rivals" is a corruption of "the arrivals" and refers to the three Magi
of the Nativity
arriving at Jesus' cradle; or that it is a corruption of the Yorkshire "thirdings" or "thridings", meaning "three" and refers to the Christian trinity.
Another possibility is that this line refers to Hera
, Athena
, and Aphrodite
, the three goddesses between whom the Judgement of Paris
was made.
The two remain obscure. Jesus
and John the Baptist
have been suggested, as have the holly
and the ivy
(although the holly berry is red and the ivy berry is black, both have white wood and are evergreen). Pagan tradition also has the holly and the ivy as male and female, so they are not both "boys". The two may, instead, be holly and mistletoe
(which has white berries with green branches), which would align more closely with the tradition of the defeat at Yule
of the Holly King
by the Oak King (mistletoe 'traditionally' grows on oak trees, although it will grow on other types of tree). Robert Graves
, indeed, suggested that they are the Holly King and Oak King.
There is also some suggestion that the two may be the Old and New Testaments, perhaps referring to some mediaeval tradition. Another explanation is that the statues of St John and Our Lady which, in Christian Churches, flank the Crucifix on the Altar reredos
or the Rood screen were, during Holy Week
, bound with rushes to cover them. (During Holy Week, from Palm Sunday
until Easter Day, all statues, crosses, and crucifixes are traditionally covered from view, and all flowers are removed from the Church). The two figures were portrayed in similar garments, hence "lily-white boys", and wrapped in rushes they were "Clothed all in green".
The phrase could also allude to an ancient ritual of painting two people from a village white and sending them off to die, thereby cleansing the village of its sins. The verse has also been changed to "lily-white doves" in some interpretations of the songs in reference to Noah's Ark
, although "Clothed all in green" strongly suggests that the two "boys" were in some way connected with the growth of plants. At some scout camps the two is changed to "Two little Boyscouts clothed and all in green ho-ho".
One other explanation is that the boys referred to are the twins Castor and Pollux, both of whom appear in Greek mythology. As the constellation of Gemini is named after them, this would provide yet another astronomical reference in the song.
One would suppose that the "One" of the last line would be God
, but God in the Middle Ages
was more commonly thought of as the Trinity
, and "One is one and one alone", if applied to God, sounds more like Jewish or Muslim
theology than Christian
in its strong insistence on the Divine unity.
Ozarks
, entitled The Twelve Apostles. Its twelfth, cumulated, verse, is:
Leven of the saints that has gone to Heaven,
Ten of the ten commandments,
Nine of the sunshines bright an' fair,
Eight of the eight archangels,
Seven of the seven stars in the sky,
Six of the cheerful waiters,
Five of the ferrymen in the boat,
Four of the gospel preachers,
Three of them were strangers,
Two of the little white babes
Dressed in the mournin' green.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
(Roud
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
#133) popular across the English-speaking world. It is sometimes sung as a Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
. The song is not to be confused with Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' Green Grow The Rashes, O, with which it shares only the title. It is cumulative
Cumulative song
A cumulative song is a song whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as-Examples of cumulative songs:* "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...
in structure, with each verse built up from the previous verse by appending a new stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
. The first verse is:
Lyrics
The twelfth, cumulated, verse runs:- I'll sing you twelve, Ho (or oh or O)
- Green grow the rushes, Ho
- What are your twelve, Ho?
- Twelve for the twelve Apostles
- Eleven for the eleven who went to heaven,
- Ten for the ten commandments,
- Nine for the nine bright shiners,
- Eight for the April Rainers, (or April Showerers, or occasionally Eight for the eight bold Rangers)
- Seven for the seven stars in the sky, (or Seven for the seven who went to Heaven)
- Six for the six proud walkers, (or brown walkers)
- Five for the symbols at your door, (or my door)
- Four for the Gospel makers,
- Three, three, the rivals,
- Two, two, the lily-white boys,
- Clothèd all in green, Ho Ho (or Clothe them all in green, oh oh or Dressèd all in green, o o, or "Clad them all in Green, O)
- One is one and all alone (sometimes One is one and one alone, One and one is all alone, One is one and stands alone, or One is one and always one)
- And evermore shall be (it or as) so.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song are in many places extremely obscure, and present an unusual mixture of ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
catechesis, astronomical mnemonics, and what may very well be pagan cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
.
The song's origins are uncertain.
"Green grow the rushes, Ho (or O)" sounds sufficiently out of place that one is inclined to ascribe it to the same origin as "Fine flowers in the valley" in one version of the ballad The Cruel Mother
The Cruel Mother
"The Cruel Mother" is a murder ballad.-Synopsis:A woman gives birth to one or two illegitimate children in the woods, kills them, and buries them. On her return trip home, she sees a child, or children, playing, and says that if they were hers, she would dress them in various fine garments and...
– namely, an attempt to turn a mistaken line of Gaelic
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
into its nearest English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
phonetic equivalent.
- Twelve for the twelve Apostles
This refers to the twelve Apostles of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, although the number has other meanings; it may originally have referred to the months of the year, for example.
- Eleven for the eleven who went to heaven
These are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful (minus Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
), or possibly St Ursula
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
and her companions.
- Ten for the ten commandments
This refers to the ten commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
given to Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
.
- Nine for the nine bright shiners
The nine may be an astronomical reference: the Sun, Moon and five planets known before 1781 yields seven and to this may be added the sphere of the fixed stars and the Empyrean
Empyrean
Empyrean, from the Medieval Latin empyreus, an adaptation of the Ancient Greek ἔμπυρος empyrus "in or on the fire ", properly Empyrean Heaven, is the place in the highest heaven, which in ancient cosmologies was supposed to be occupied by the element of fire .-Use in literature:The Empyrean was...
. It could potentially refer to the nine orders (or 'choirs') of angels
Hierarchy of angels
The most influential Christian angelic hierarchy was that put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 4th or 5th century in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia . During the Middle Ages, many schemes were proposed, some drawing on and expanding on Pseudo-Dionysius, others suggesting completely...
.
- Eight for the April Rainers (or April Showerers, or occasionally Eight for the eight bold Rangers)
The April rainers refer to the Hyades
Hyades
Hyades may refer to:*Hyades *Hyades , an open star cluster in the constellation Taurus...
star cluster, called the 'rainy Hyades' in classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
times, and rising with the sun in April – the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
thought of them as inaugurating the April rains. "Eight bold rangers" is probably a recent corruption.
The seven are probably either the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
star cluster, or perhaps Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...
, the Big Dipper
Big Dipper
The Plough, also known as the Big Dipper or the Saptarishi , is an asterism of seven stars that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial...
. They may also be the planets or other stars. Alternatively, the seven stars may be those referred to in Revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
chapter 1. They are first cited in verse 16 as being held in the right hand of Christ and then explained as referring to seven angels of the seven early Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
churches. The seven stars could also be a reference to the Jewish cross, which is also a constellation over Israel.
- Six for the six proud walkers (or brown walkers)
The six seems to be a historical reference, but remains obscure. It is possible that they were members of a Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
warband who beat the bounds of their fortified camp in a traditional way between AD 450 and 1066. Perhaps it is a Biblical reference to Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet...
9:2 - six men with swords come in a vision of the prophet to slaughter the people, whose leaders (8:16) have committed such sins as turning East to worship the Sun, and "have filled the land with violence". It may also be a corruption of 'waters', but what "the six bold waters" would refer to remains elusive.
- Five for the symbols at your door (or my door)
This probably alludes to the practice of putting a pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
at the door of a house to ward off witches and evil spirits; this was relatively common in the late Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and the Early Modern period
Early modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
, and is alluded to in no shortage of literary works from or set in those eras. It can also refer to the five books of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
- the pentateuch. An alternative interpretation is given by John Timpson
John Timpson
John Harry Robert Timpson OBE, , born in Kenton, Harrow, Middlesex, was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, a boys' independent school in Northwood, London....
in his book Timpson's England, where he states that it refers to five symbols displayed above the doorways of houses that would shelter Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priests. He gives an example a house where these can still be seen. The symbols above the door could also mean the mezuzah
Mezuzah
A mezuzah is usually a metal or wooden rectangular object that is fastened to a doorpost of a Jewish house. Inside it is a piece of parchment inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah...
, which contains a section of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and is inscribed with symbols.
- Four for the Gospel makers
This refers to the four Evangelist
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
s, Mathew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
, Mark
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
and John
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
.
- Three, three, the rivals
Some have suggested that the three alluded to here are the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, but this leaves "the rivals" unexplained. It could also refer to the three major religious traditions of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, or to the synoptic gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s of Matthew, Mark and Luke, alluding to the previous line. These three give similar though slightly different accounts of the life of Christ. The "three rivals" could also be Peter, James and John, who are often mentioned together in the Gospels and at one time: "A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest" (Luke 22:24). However, only James and John are mentioned asking for special treatment in Mark 10:35-45, James and John's mother asks for her sons to have special treatment in Matthew 20:20-28, and the passage in Luke 22:24 uses a generic "them" to refer to all of the disciples. Peter is the next person spoken to by Jesus, but the ensuing conversation does not seem to refer to the discussion of a rivalry among the disciples. Pastor Paul Kolch of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sacramento taught that the three referred to Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego, who resisted burning in the fiery furnace and were "rivals" to the Babylonians.
Some suggest it refers to three similar and adjacent mountains in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl is a mountain on the north coast of the Llŷn peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales.It has three summits, each quite separate from the others, and this is often supposed to be the source of the English name The Rivals...
.
It has also been suggested that "rivals" is a corruption of "the arrivals" and refers to the three Magi
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
of the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
arriving at Jesus' cradle; or that it is a corruption of the Yorkshire "thirdings" or "thridings", meaning "three" and refers to the Christian trinity.
Another possibility is that this line refers to Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
, Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, and Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, the three goddesses between whom the Judgement of Paris
Judgement of Paris
thumb |right |460px |[[The Judgment of Paris |The Judgment of Paris]], [[Peter Paul Rubens]], ca 1636...
was made.
- Two, two, the lily-white boys
- Clothed all in green, Ho (or Clothe them all in green, O)
The two remain obscure. Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
have been suggested, as have the holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
and the ivy
Ivy
Ivy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
(although the holly berry is red and the ivy berry is black, both have white wood and are evergreen). Pagan tradition also has the holly and the ivy as male and female, so they are not both "boys". The two may, instead, be holly and mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
(which has white berries with green branches), which would align more closely with the tradition of the defeat at Yule
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
of the Holly King
Holly King (myth)
The Holly King is a speculative archetype of modern studies of folklore and mythology which has been popularized in some Neopagan religions. In his book The White Goddess, the author Robert Graves proposed that the mythological figure of the Holly King represents one half of the year, while the...
by the Oak King (mistletoe 'traditionally' grows on oak trees, although it will grow on other types of tree). Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
, indeed, suggested that they are the Holly King and Oak King.
There is also some suggestion that the two may be the Old and New Testaments, perhaps referring to some mediaeval tradition. Another explanation is that the statues of St John and Our Lady which, in Christian Churches, flank the Crucifix on the Altar reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
or the Rood screen were, during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
, bound with rushes to cover them. (During Holy Week, from Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
until Easter Day, all statues, crosses, and crucifixes are traditionally covered from view, and all flowers are removed from the Church). The two figures were portrayed in similar garments, hence "lily-white boys", and wrapped in rushes they were "Clothed all in green".
The phrase could also allude to an ancient ritual of painting two people from a village white and sending them off to die, thereby cleansing the village of its sins. The verse has also been changed to "lily-white doves" in some interpretations of the songs in reference to Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
, although "Clothed all in green" strongly suggests that the two "boys" were in some way connected with the growth of plants. At some scout camps the two is changed to "Two little Boyscouts clothed and all in green ho-ho".
One other explanation is that the boys referred to are the twins Castor and Pollux, both of whom appear in Greek mythology. As the constellation of Gemini is named after them, this would provide yet another astronomical reference in the song.
- One is one and all alone (sometimes One is one and one alone or One is one and stands alone)
One would suppose that the "One" of the last line would be God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, but God in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
was more commonly thought of as the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, and "One is one and one alone", if applied to God, sounds more like Jewish or Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
theology than Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
in its strong insistence on the Divine unity.
The Twelve Apostles
A variant of this song is sung in the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ozarks
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
, entitled The Twelve Apostles. Its twelfth, cumulated, verse, is:
Alternative titles
- Children go Where I Send Thee
- I'll Sing You One Oh
- The Carol of the Twelve Numbers
- The Twelve Apostles
- The Dilly Song
- The Dilly Carol
- The Counting Song
- Come and I Will Sing You
Related works
- The spiritualSpiritualitySpirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
Children, Go Where I Send TheeChildren, Go Where I Send Thee"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" is a traditional African-American spiritual song. This song is also known as "The Holy Baby" or "Born in Bethlehem." There are many versions of this song, the lyrics below were collected by Jean Ritchie from a school for black children in Kentucky. The verses give a...
has a similar format, counting down from ten (twelve, in some versions) biblical references. - The song The Ten Commandments, on Figgy DuffFiggy DuffFiggy Duff was a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland. They played a major role in the Newfoundland cultural renaissance of the 1970s and 80s. Formed in 1976 by Noel Dinn, who named the band after a kind of traditional white pudding, Figgy Duff travelled across Newfoundland, learning...
's album After The Tempest is a variant of this song that that does not include the eleventh and twelfth symbols. - There is also a song titled Green Grow The Rushes on R.E.M.R.E.M.R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's album Fables of the ReconstructionFables of the ReconstructionFables of the Reconstruction, also known as Reconstruction of the Fables, is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on the I.R.S...
, which refers to and is partially based upon this song. - A filk song titled High Fly the NazgulNazgûlThe Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
-O! uses the same tune but the lyrics have been changed to refer to The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
. - The comedy character Rambling Syd RumpoRambling Syd RumpoRambling Syd Rumpo was a folk singer character played by English comedian Kenneth Williams in the radio comedy series Round the Horne.The Rambling Syd sketches generally began with a short discourse on the nature of the song which would inexorably follow; these discourses in their own right would...
sang parodies called Green Grow My Nadgers, O and Green Grows My Boglin' Fork on the Round the HorneRound the HorneRound the Horne was a BBC Radio comedy programme, transmitted in four series of weekly episodes from 1965 until 1968. The series was created by Barry Took and Marty Feldman - with others contributing to later series after Feldman returned to performing — and starred Kenneth Horne, with Kenneth...
radio comedy programme. - In the Gilbert & Sullivan operettaOperettaOperetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
The Yeomen of the GuardThe Yeomen of the GuardThe Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, the opening phrases of the duet I Have A Song To Sing, O were inspired by a variant of this song, beginning "Come, and I will sing you". - In The Children of Green KnoweGreen KnoweGreen Knowe is a series of six books written by Lucy M. Boston, published between 1954 and 1976. They feature a very old house, Green Knowe, which is based on Boston's then-residence, The Manor in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire. Some books in the series feature a boy called Toseland and his...
, by Lucy M. BostonLucy M. BostonLucy M. Boston was an English children's writer. She is best known for the six books in the Green Knowe series .-Biography:Boston was born in Southport in Lancashire in 1892 and died in 1990...
, Tolly sings the first two verses of the song. - In the 'Too Many Christmas Trees' episode of the 1960s U.K. TV series The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, Steed and sings the first two verses of this song to avoid having his mind influenced by his adversaries with psychic powers. - The Society for Creative AnachronismSociety for Creative AnachronismThe Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
kingdom of Ealdormere has a filk version of the song, using the tune and the count-down format; the final line is "And one for the land of Ealdormere that ever more shall be so". - The Two RonniesThe Two RonniesThe Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
performed a satirical version as members of a Russian Choir. "Green" was, of course, changed to "Red". Memorable lyrics included: "Six for the Common Market / Five pence a mile to drive your car / And four pounds just to park it / Three P for a rotten cup of tea / Tu-tu for women's lib / Now they've burned their bras - O! / One is one, and all alone, and that is Greta Garbo". - Red Fly the Banners, ORed fly the banners oRed Fly the Banners, O is a British and Irish folk song expressing Marxist-Leninist political views. It is based on, and sung to the tune of, the traditional English ballad Green Grow the Rushes, O.-Lyrics:...
is a Marxist-Leninist version of the song. - There is a reference to "the lily-white boy" in W H Auden's poem As I Walked Out One Evening.
- The song is referred to in the famous Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'BrianPatrick O'BrianPatrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centred on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen...
, specifically on pg 271 of Post CaptainPost Captain (novel)Post Captain is a 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the Aubrey–Maturin series of stories set in the early-nineteenth century, concerning the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and naval surgeon Stephen Maturin...
. - Twelve of Anthea FraserAnthea FraserAnthea Mary Fraser is a novelist. Her mother was a published novelist and Anthea began composing poems and stories before she could write. At the age of five she announced that she wanted to be an author...
's novels featuring fictional detective David Webb reference lines of the song. - The song is sung by Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols preceding her murder in Alan Moore's From HellFrom HellFrom Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
. - A variation of this song using nature references and extending only from one to five is performed by an animated turtle in children's TV show Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. - Jilly CooperJilly CooperJilly Cooper OBE is an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She is most famous for writing the Rutshire Chronicles.-Early life:Jilly Sallitt was born in Hornchurch,...
's novel Rivals references the song several times: the three companies are described as the "three rivals" and lines from the song are sung by characters. - The Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea recorded a version titled "Come and I Will Sing You" on their 2005 album The Hard and the EasyThe Hard and the EasyThe Hard and The Easy is an album by Great Big Sea. It was released on October 11, 2005 in Canada and October 25, 2005 in the US. It reached gold status by October 25, 2005....
. - Terry's Pratchett'sTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
novel HogfatherHogfatherHogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee.The Hogfather is also a character in the book, representing something akin to Father Christmas. He grants children's wishes on Hogswatchnight and brings them presents...
features two brothers that share the last name "Lilywhite"; elsewhere in the book, a fictional holiday carol called "The Lilywhite Boys" is referred to.