Click here to see 100 songs that don't have any tags. You can help by requesting and tagging them!

From WWR

Trivia, story behind the song, etc.

I first heard Peter, Paul and Mary’s interpretation of this song as a child. A friend asked me to consider recording it for this project, and in researching it I became fascinated by the song’s rich history in folklore. The earliest versions that I could find date back to 16th century, and as with the best folk songs, adaptations are numerous. I have pulled together the following lyric from both Appalachian and European sources, and have made a few changes here and there. I love how this song explores timeless themes of faithfulness and infidelity, sexuality and childbirth, the protective instinct that children show for their mothers, and the fears women have always had for their unborn children. It’s always thrilling to find a song so old that still rings true. My favorite verse is the one where Mary ignores Joseph’s accusations and instead seems to tease him by flaunting her newfound powers as a pregnant woman: ‘Oh look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command.” [1]

Lyrics

Joseph was a good man, a good man was he
And he loved sweet Mary, The Queen of Galilee (2x)
And one day they were walking in the garden so green
And there were apples and cherries as ripe as can be seen (2x)
And Mary said to Joseph, so meek and so mild,
"Joseph, gather me cherries for I am with child." (2x)
And Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he,
"Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee." (2x)
Then up spoke the baby from within his mother’s womb
Bow down ye cherry tree, and let my mother have some." (2x)
Down came the branches till they touched Mary's hand,
She said, "Oh, look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command." (2x)
Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee,
Saying, “What have I done?  Lord, have mercy on me.” (2x)
Then Mary did speak to the babe in her womb:  
She said, “Tell me, my baby, how this world shall be.” (2x)  
 “O I shall be as dead, mother, as the stones in the wall
And the stones in the street, mother, shall mourn for me all.” (2x)
 “But on Easter-day, mother,  my rising shall be
And  the sun and the moon together shall both rise with me.” (2x)
Then Mary pluck’d a cherry  as red as any blood;  
And then she traveled onward with her heavy load. (2x)

Zig – guitar 

Listener comments about The Cherry Tree Carol (83452)

Tags

Request it

Christmas 71 items

Religious 50 items

Acoustic Guitar 9,244 items

Mellow 1,915 items

Pretty 2,077 items

Sleepy 148 items

Solo vocalist 11,171 items

Acoustic 9,739 items

Kelli 76 items