Dive into the beautiful and historic Coventry Carol Lyrics.
Lullaby, thou little tiny child,
Bye, bye lullay, lullay
Lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye, bye lullay, lullay.
Oh sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day,
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
Bye, bye lullay, lullay.
Herod the king in his reign,
Charged he hath this day,
His men of night, in his own sight,
All children young to stay.
Then woe is me, poor child for thee,
And ever mourn and say,
For thy parting not say, nor sing,
Bye, bye lullay, lullay.
Coventry Carol Lyrics Video
Details
Song: Coventry Carol
Album: Traditional / Various Artists
Release Date: 16th Century (earliest music 1591)
Lyrics Writers: Unknown
Music Composer: Unknown (Traditional English Carol)
Genre: Christmas Carol / Classical / Choral / Folk
Meaning
Unlike most joyful Christmas songs, Coventry Carol tells a somber story. It focuses on the Massacre of the Innocents described in the Gospel of Matthew, where King Herod orders the killing of all male infants in Bethlehem to prevent the rise of a new “king.”
The lyrics are framed as a lullaby sung by grieving mothers to their children in the face of this tragedy, contrasting the tender melody with dark historical meaning.