Lyrics to Scottish carol: Baloo Lammy ?

Feadan · Post by **Feadan** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:28 am

I had a heck of a time tracking down lyrics for this on the internet. Most sites wanted to sell sheet music or CDs, or wanted to tout that it was in such & such a choir's Xmas program. Then the one site I finally found that did have just the lyrics proceeded to blast out a midi file that couldn't be shut off :roll: (see Worst Websites thread! There were two sets of lyrics on that site. The first set displayed in all caps was this…

This day to you is born a child
Of Mary meek, the virgin mild
That blessed bairn, most loving and kind
Shall now rejoice, both heart & mind
Baloo Loo Lammy

My soul and life, stand up and see
Who lies in a crib built of a tree
What bairn is that, so good and fair?
‘Tis dearest Jesus, God’s Son and heir
Baloo Loo Lammy

O my dear heart, young Jesus sweet
Prepare thy cradle within my spirit
And I shall rock thee within my heart
And ne’er more from thee shall I depart
Baloo Loo Lammy

Offered as “Version2” was…

This day to you is born a child
Of Mary meek, the Virgin mild.
That blessed bairn, so loving and kind
Shall now rejoice both heart and mind.
Baloo Lammy.

A star appeared this blessed morn,
And unto us a child is born.
To heaven He'll lead us from near and far,
So follow, follow that wondrous star.
Baloo Lammy.

The first set of lyrics strikes me a more contrived than version 2. I wonder if any members in Scotland that know this song would care to comment as to which is more trad. (And, yes, I know that it is adapted from a cradle song called Balaloo Lammy

)

Thanks,
David

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:31 am

any song with the word "bairn" in it is worth learning.

Feadan · Post by **Feadan** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:56 am

emmline wrote:any song with the word "bairn" in it is worth learning.

A couple of years ago I worked out an arrangement of the tune for three smallpipes ( 2 in D and one in A). A midi rendition can be found here. As I will probably never find two other pipers with smallpipes in the appropriate keys to play it with I thought perhaps singing it whilst playing the first harmony line might work. Yes...sometimes I can chew gum and walk at the same time

Will O'B · Post by **Will O'B** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 1:30 pm

While I can't answer your trad question, I'd like to say that I like it.

Will O'Ban

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 6:50 pm

This has long been one of my favorite Christmas Carols.

About 30 years ago I found a choral arrangement of this , and even though I only play it on piano or organ, it is a great tune.

I'm hoping we might do this next year at church. I've already mentioned it and haven't been shot down yet........

Oh, and the lyrics in my version are the second ones listed in the initial post.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 10:58 pm

Here's the version recorded by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band on Carols and Capers

http://www.gaudela.net/prior/carols_and_capers.html

Ane Sang Of The Birth Of Christ (Balulalow)
Scottish 16th Century
lute
I come fra hevin here to tell
The best nowells that e'er befell
To you thir tythings trew I bring
And I will of them say and sing.
To you this day is born ane child
Of Marie meik and Virgin mild.
That blissit bairn bening and kind
Sall you rejoyce baith hart and mind.

Lat us rejoyis and be blyth
And with the Hydris go full swyth
And see what God of his grace hes done
Throu Christ to bring us to his throne
My saull and life, stand up and see
What lyis in ane cribbe of tree.
What Babe is that, sa gude and fair?
It is Christ, God's Son and Air.
The silk and sandell thee to eis
Ar hay and sempill sweilling clais,
Whar thou greit glorious God and King
As thou in hev'n war in thy ring.
And war the warld ten times sa wide,
Cled ouer with gold and stanes of pride
Unworthie yit it were to thee
Under thy feet ane stule to be.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit,
Prepare thy creddil in my spreit!
And I sall rock thee in my hart
And never mair fra thee depart.
Bot I sall praise thee evermoir
With sangis sweit unto thy gloir.
The kneis of my hart sall I bow,
And sing that rycht Balulalow.

That's an excellent CD, by the way, and sadly, my copy has suffered from sudden CD rot, and all the the first three tracks are now unplayable.[/quote]

Feadan · Post by **Feadan** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:08 pm

s1m0n wrote:Here's the version recorded by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band on Carols and Capers

http://www.gaudela.net/prior/carols_and_capers.html

Ane Sang Of The Birth Of Christ (Balulalow)
Scottish 16th Century

A completely different song than the one I'm referring to....

Thanks anyway,
David

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 1:26 am

A completely different song than the one I'm referring to....

????

This is obviously the source for your song. If you look, a version of every stanza of your song is contained within it, although the second verse of version 2 isn't in the original, as you suspected.

Why do you say it's a "completely different song"? It's seems to me that the 16th century scots text is the MOST "trad", if that's what you were asking.

To you this day is born ane child
Of Marie meik and Virgin mild.
That blissit bairn bening and kind
Sall you rejoyce baith hart and mind.

My saull and life, stand up and see
What lyis in ane cribbe of tree.
What Babe is that, sa gude and fair?
It is Christ, God's Son and Air.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit,
Prepare thy creddil in my spreit!
And I sall rock thee in my hart
And never mair fra thee depart.

That's your song, only in another dialect/language (lowland scots) if you want authentic and you want scots, that's both. Your song has obviously been translated and redacted from this original. Hence, the answer to your question is that version 1 is the more authentic of your two candidates, because the second stanza of version 2 is a later addition.

Feadan · Post by **Feadan** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 8:46 am

s1m0n wrote: This is obviously the source for your song. If you look, a version of every stanza of your song is contained within it, although the second verse of version 2 isn't in the original, as you suspected.

Why do you say it's a "completely different song"? It's seems to me that the 16th century scots text is the MOST "trad", if that's what you were asking.

That's your song, only in another dialect/language (lowland scots) if you want authentic and you want scots, that's both. Your song has obviously been translated and redacted from this original. Hence, the answer to your question is that version 1 is the more authentic of your two candidates, because the second stanza of version 2 is a later addition.

I sit corrected

. Plainly I am a bit slow at reading 16th century lowland scots.

Don't think I could sing it too well either for that matter. Prior's song (Carols & Capers is in my CD collection) is set to different melody than the more modern song that I know. I guess that is part of what threw me off as well. Sounds more to my ear like a product of English gentry than a Scots folk tune. IMHO, Baloo, Lammy with it's flatted 7th (mixolydian mode ?) sounds more like a good Scottish folk song which is what I am after. The extra verses in the the 16th cent. version are good fruit to pick for creating more verses for the Baloo Lammy version though.

Thanks,
David

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 5:32 pm

If you own the CD, you might want to consider burning yourself a backup, just in case it was from the same production run as mine, and might suffer the same fate.

If you see rust-coloured marks on the surface of the disk, it's beginning.

I'd only played mine annually, (as one does) but I liked it a lot, so I'm annoyed that it's died on me.

If you're feeling *really* generous and have highspeed, I'd love to recieve .wav or mp3s for the dead tracks so I could make myself a replacement.