Christian History Blog: Top Eight Historically Incorrect Christmas Songs

back to ChristianHistory.net

RSS Feed | Help

e-mail this to a friend

who we are

Chris A.

Ted O.

Elesha C.

Collin H.

David Neff

Free Newsletters

What We're Reading

God and Race in American Politics: A Short History
by Mark A. Noll
It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust
by Elizabeth Bettina
Tradition: Concept and Claim
by Josef Pieper

« Book Report: Picture This | Main | Two Tidbits from The Lost History of Christianity »

Top Eight Historically Incorrect Christmas Songs

by Ted Olsen | December 22, 2008

How to be a loudmouth know-it-all at your carol sing.

silentnight chapel oberdorf.jpg I love Christmas music. Not as much as the blogosphere's Ernie (Not Bert), Andy Cirzan, or some of the Christmas music nuts I've met. But still, 10,000 Christmas songs on my hard drive probably qualifies me as a fanatic.

There are ample songs that grate (if you think the Chipmunks are bad, try the Chippers, Woody the Chipmunk, or any of the Chipmunk ripoff albums that came after "Christmas Don't Be Late" hit it big in 1958). But there are other songs that are just plain wrong - and many of them are among the most popular of the season. Here, for your interrupting pleasure during your family singing, your Christmas Eve neighborhood caroling, or similar opportunities, are the best songs to cluck at.

8. I Saw Three Ships

An easy one just to start the list. Bethlehem is landlocked, so it is historically improbable that our savior Christ and his lady came sailing in on Christmas day in the morning. But that's not all that's problematic about the song. Where's Joseph? If it's just Jesus and Mary, why do they need three ships? Surely Mary didn't just arrive in Bethlehem the morning of the birth?

The history of the song is unclear, but several of the more reputable books on Christmas carol history suggest that its origins may have had something to do with a story of three ships carrying relics of the Magi to Cologne, Germany, in 1162.

The song as it is sung today first appeared in William B. Sandys's wonderful 1833 volume, Christmastide: Its History, Festivities And Carols. No surprise there: Christmastide also marked the first publication of God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen, The First Nowell, and other great carols. Sandys was interested in "the curious fancy" of three ships bearing the Madonna and Child, and noted that the carol is only one of several to take a maritime theme. He quotes an "ancient Dutch Carol" that began:

There comes a vessel laden,
And on its highest gunwale,
Mary holds the rudder,
The angel steers it on. ?

In one unbroken course
There comes that ship to land,
It brings to us rich gifts,
Forgiveness is sent to us.

Sandys quotes from Joseph Ritson's earlier collection of songs, which offered a similar Scottish song:

There comes a ship far sailing then,
Saint Michael was the stieres-man;
Saint John sate in the horn:
Our Lord harped, our Lady sang,
And all the bells of heaven they rang,
On Christ's sonday at morn,

An interesting history. But still: No ships in Bethlehem. Which led John Camden Hotten to note in his 1905 Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern that the carol "has always been a great favorite with the illiterate, and from its quaintness will be found not displeasing to the more refined."

7. The First Nowell

As long as we're in Sandys's volume, we might as well turn to his section on The First Nowell. Today we sing that the Noel was sung "to certain poor shepherds." Sandys's version had "three poor shepherds." In a note, Sandys explains:

According to some legends, the number [of shepherds] was four, called Misael, Achael, Cyriacus, and Stephanus, and these, with the names of the three Kings, were used as a charm to cure the biting of serpents, and other venomous reptiles and beasts. In the seventh of the Chester Mysteries, the Shepherds, who there are but three, have the more homely names of Harvey, Tudd, and Trowle, and are Cheshire or Lancashire boors by birth and habits. Trowle's gift to our Saviour is "a pair of his wife's old hose."

Fortunately, we don't have any popular carols about Trowle's hose. Joshua Sylvestre, in his Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (published a few decades after Sandy's volume), complains about "two additional, but very foolish verses" in the song that seem unbiblical:

Between an ox stall and an ass,
This Child truly there born he was;
For want of clothing they did him lay
All in a manger, among the hay.

If we in our time shall do well
We shall be free from death and Hell
For God hath prepared for us all
A resting place in general.

But the verses we still sing are plenty ahistorical as well. Most of us know already that Christmas almost certainly did not come "on a cold winter's night" ? the shepherds would not have been out in the fields in December. Also, it seems from Matthew's Gospel account that no one had paid much attention to the Star of Bethlehem other than the Magi. There's certainly no biblical account that the shepherds "looked up and saw a star shining in the East, beyond them far."

6. The Last Month of the Year

Vera Hall's song, recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax and made popular by the Kingston Trio on its 1960 album of the same name, is wonderful. (My favorite version is on the Blind Boys of Alabama's 2003 album, Go Tell It On the Mountain.)

Unfortunately, the lyrics serves only one purpose: To inform people that Jesus was born in December.

5. We Three Kings

You can't blame John Henry Hopkins Jr. for making everyone think that there were only three Magi and that they were royalty. By the time the church music instructor at New York's General Theological Seminary published the song in 1863, those legends were well established. (See the reference to the relics, above.)

William Sandys, writing a decade before Hopkins penned his song, wrote, "There are numerous histories of the magi or kings themselves, all agreeing as to their number having been three, but some of them differing entirely in name," he wrote. Like Hopkins, Sandys considered the names Melchior, Jasper, and Balthasar" to be genuine. But he couldn't resist offering a historical alternative that was less "euphonious": Galagalath, Magalath, and Tharath.

Less euphonious, maybe, but the names rhyme! That's just begging for a Christmas carol.

4. Away in a Manger

Let's get rid of the fake Reformation history first: This was not written by Martin Luther. As the incredible website The Hymns and Carols of Christmas notes, "Verses 1 and 2 appeared anonymously in Little Children's Book for Schools and Families, by J. C. File, Philadelphia, 1885, and verse 3 is by John Thomas McFarland (1851-1913)."

As for the theological history, several scholars have noted a bit of heresy in the line, "no crying he makes." The argument is that such a line denies Jesus' humanity. More recently, N.T. Wright has criticized the hymn for emphasizing heaven rather than the New Earth. ("Fit us for heaven to live with thee there.")

3. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

If Wright was miffed about "Away in a Manger," he has been on a warpath on this one. Here's an excerpt from his 2006 Christmas Eve sermon:

"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" ? catches the meaning of Luke 2 better than most of the much-loved but essentially escapist carols. All except, that is, for the last verse. Look at it and feel free to correct it in your copy! 'For lo, the days are hastening on, by prophet-bards foretold . . .' and then, leaving behind the Christian hope and opting for an ancient pagan superstition, it says 'when, with the ever-circling years, comes round the age of gold'. Well, if you think the ages go round in circles and every so often you get a Golden Age when everything is peaceful and happy, think again; if that were the case, why should we work for it? Why not just shrug your shoulders and wait? That's Qu? Ser? Ser? theology - whatever will be, will be. That wasn't good enough for William Wilberforce; it wasn't good enough for God, and Christmas proves it. Something needs to be done.

2. Silent Night

You know that story about the Christmas Eve service where the organ didn't work and Franz Gruber had to pen the tune on the spot for guitar?

Yeah. Lies. All lies.

1. Do They Know It's Christmas

Here's the chorus:

There won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life
Where nothing ever grows
No rain nor rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmastime at all?

There is in fact quite a bit of snow in Africa, where many things grow because of heavy rainfall and rivers. But more appropriate to church history, it was in fact Africans who first celebrated Christmas.

Clement of Alexandria, Egypt, wrote, "From the birth of Christ, therefore, to the death of Commodus are, in all, a hundred and ninety-four years, one month, thirteen days. And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus, and in the twenty-fifth day of Pachon."

That was 1800 years ago. These days, '80s British rockstars may sleep easily know that Africans do in fact know that it is Christmastime.

* * * Photo: Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf, Austria. Photograph by Gakuro.

Comments

Actually, the "three ships" is sometimes thought to refer to the camels, which were called "ships of the sea."

You mean "ships of the desert", right?

Enjoyed the Christian History Blog immensely and the first time as well. Christianity Today had this site in its daily newsletter and I am thoroughly delighted that I visited this site and will save it and refer to it in the future many times. Great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS

Although I agree with what Ted Olsen has written, I wonder how far to take it. For example, there are several songs saying or comparing life to a mountain railroad. Other songs use phenomenon related to common life.

About "We Three Kings," it
should also be noted that they
were from Persia, which is technically not "the Orient."
So, there weren't necessarily
three, they weren't kings, & they weren't from the Orient. But,
you know, other than all that,
the song is pretty accurate!

Maybe it's nostalgia, but al these bad carols are still better than jingle bells! And other stuff you hear at Wal-Mart.

Bah humbug to all this bah humbug talk!

As For the "Three Kings" from "the Orient", the song doesn't say they were from the Orient, (asia or china), it says, "We three kings from orient are" since orient means 'east', and Persia is east of Israel, they certainly were from 'orient'. BTW, Brazil, and pretty much the entire eastern portion of South America was referred to as "the Orient" by many people, including those associated with the Jim Elliot - Nate Saint group.

Ted makes several comments about the time of Christmas not possibly being in December. Why not? Given the close proximity to Jerusalem, it would seem that certain flocks would need to be available year round for sacrificial lambs for the temple. Maybe not the ideal for the flocks, but surely a necessity for the Temple. When would he propose if not December?

How about The Little Drummer Boy? Where is that one in scripture? There are no names of the wise men in the Bible and it doesn't mention how many there were or if there were 2 or three or five. Most people believe the wise men visited the baby at the stable but scripture says they visited the child Jesus at his house, not the stable.

Clarence, the Orient doesn't mean China or the Far East but in most languages based on the latin orient means East, which technically where Persia is from Bethlehem.

Being a Lutheran Christian, I was glad to be reminded that Luther didn't write "Away in a Manger." The "no crying he makes" line always struck me as compromising the humanity of Christ.

So what? I sing for joy in the season, and am aware that songs may not be "biblically correct", but then faith expresses joy in other ways and images. Who cares why the organ didn't work. . .we sing about Christ, not the busted organ.

So, Harry, you care less for the truth than for your joy and images?

Tim

Olsen should have read his linked notes on the Silent Night story before he cryptically exclaimed, "Lies. All lies." As the notes well show more of the story is true than lies! We simply do not know, though the probability is there, that the organ was not available for the midnight Christmaas mass. And it is still the truth that Mohr asked Gruber to pen the tune to the poem he had written in his previous parish but never used with music. It is still an interesting story about the most published song in music history. Olsen obviously threw this in to fit his hypothesis for his article. Just doesn't fit....

Is there an explanation anywhere for the lack of rhyme and rhythm in "What Child Is This?"?
"Hail, hail to bring him laud,
the Babe, the Son of Mary."
Surely, the original version read "the Babe, the Son of God."
Otherwise, why use the word "laud"?

The person who said that We Three Kings is "pretty accurate" other than the origin of the kings is very confused. We know from the biblical account that there were more than one, they saw a star in the east and headed west to the only logical location, Jeruselam, where the kings sit. They did not follow the star west, but followed the message of the star which they saw in the east. When they left Jerusalem, they again saw the star and "rejoiced greatly", because they had not expected to see it again. They followed the star SOUTH to Bethlehem. It is all miraculous either way, so why not be accurate?

Do they know it's Christmas? happens to be one of my favorites - just because of the errors!

If You really want to be technical- What did Jesus say?
"Why do you disobey God through your traditions?"
God Gave His Feasts to Isreal
& Plenty of Prophecies-as to his birth- So those who would seek the truth could find it, yet we think we know more than God & choose to disobey HIS Words, His Laws, His Commands. You really want to celebrate his birth?
Give to the Poor, Shelter the homeless, Relive the oppressed.
Comfort the hurting & lonely,
Repent of your sins (Stop doing those things He & His Father said were Wrong,Wicked,Abominations)that drove the nails into his hands & feet, That placed a crown of thorns on His head & stipes on his back- He took the punishment WE deserved He Took our place- the Rightous for the sinfull.He took our Rightousness which is a Filthy rag in Gods sight & gave us His Rightousness by faith in Him & his work.It was His Gift of Love to You if you will accept it.

My comment about "We 3 Kings"
was misconstrued a bit. In
any event, when I said that
there weren't necessarily 3,
that they werent kings, and they
weren't from the Orient, but that otherwise the song was
accurate, I was being facetious! Take away all that
and there's virtually nothing
left. My intended humor fell
flat, apparently.

No, John. It didn't. Some of us got it. And some of us take things a little too seriously that needn't be.

I like the Tim's poke at "caring less for the truth than for your joy and images".

Got to assume that's facetious as well. Or he's never written a song.

re: why not december?

"watching their flocks by night" implies lambing season apparently, which implies spring.

You know what gets me? The bit in The Little Drummer Boy that goes "The ox and lamb kept time..." Well, what the heck was the drummer boy doing then? Isn't that what the drum is FOR? Was he riffing in some sort of jazz exploration that required the hoofed animals to step in with the actual functional drumming?

I don't mean to be "bah humbug" but most of the traditions around christmas are also wrong. For starters It is quite likely that Jesus was born in Septmber at the feast of Tabernacles according to Luke and The Magi arrived 2 years after Jesus was born. These are just 2 things wrong with the christmas traditions and there are many more. The only thing connecting the time of year we celebrate christmas and the birth of Jesus is that it is quite likely that it was here that Mary became pregnant during the festival of lights known as Hannukah.

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear is possibly the only Christmas hymn that makes no mention at all of Christ, being penned by a Unitarian. Am I the only one that thinks this omission a rather glaring one?

Isaiah 60 is seen by most evangelical scholars as being a prophecy concerning the Messiah. It says that Kings will come to His rising, that the land will be filled with camels, and that they will bring gifts of gold and incense. This is almost certainly the Biblical origin of the "three kings". The well known carol does then interpret the meaning of the three gifts offered by the Magi - gold, frankincense and myrrh. This interpretation is not confirmed by the Bible, but is certainly true to Biblical revelation as a whole.

Re Little Drummer Boy: I am in agreement with the earlier posted comments by Larry Crouch about the "Little Drummer Boy" which is a classic example of Christians accepting a trite and bogus feeding of kitsch, tripe and rubbish in place of worshipping Jesus as the Son of Man and the Son of God.

Bah humbug. Give me a break. I've been singing these songs for decades and I know the difference between a Christmas Carol and what's in my bible.

I think it's rubbish and insulting to assume that I can't tell the difference.

Those of us more literal and desiring to present the Gospel as God's action in real time and history appreciate your pointing out the errors in the carols. Those who are more poetic and figurative don't tend to have a concern.
I find people like the tunes more than the words and writing verses theoloically correct is uplifting for both mindsets.

With regard to the "circling years" in "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", I think that's more a reference to the fact that the earth circles the sun each year, rather than the pagan belief of circling ages.
Also, one that I think belongs on the top 8 historically incorrect would be the "Cherry Tree Carol". It's a lot worse than most listed above.

In regards to the references to the "ever circling years" an the "age of gold", could these not also refer to the earth turning and the "street of gold" mentioned in Revelations?

I am all for truth, and I am aware that much of what is untrue is often sung. My assembly uses a hymnal which includes some suspect titles.

However, I cannot think of anyone I know who has either come to faith or lost faith in Christ because of a theological, historical or some other error in a song.

I love Christmas, warts and all. For me, Christmas is an opportune time to seek to lead persons to Christ. At Christmas, many are willing to talk about the bible and are probably more open than at other times of the year.

Most people are aware of the myths that surround Christmas, but rather than being a distracting these tend to give the holiday a certain charm and appeal.

Once we are able to get past these colourful myths, they are many important scriptural truths waiting to be discovered, such as the diety(and humanity) of Christ, the fall of man, salvation from sin, atonement etc.

While pointing out error is a good and necessary, the "joy of Christmas" for me is spending time pointing men and women to the truth of Christ the Lord!

Thanks for this blog. I, too, am bothered by theological or historical errors that have crept into our hymnals and church services (not so much concerned about those songs that are only sung outside of church). People learn a lot of theology from what they sing, and if it's at church, it's assumed that it's in accordance with church teaching. It's annoying to have hymns that emphasize what God didn't think was important enough to include in scripture, such as what time of day Christ was born (Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming) or the time of year (In the Bleak Midwinter). But some of these contain so much good theology that they are sung in church anyway. Our church doesn't sing "Silent Night," not because the story about its origins is questionable (who cares?), but because it is theologically and historically inaccurate to say that the night Jesus was born was silent. I imagine Mary made a bit of noise during His birth, most women do. And Jesus, as a fully human baby, made baby noises such as crying, burping, etc. There were probably animals making their usual noises, and since the town was crowded, street noises could have been heard. And how can you imagine that the angels heard by the shepherds were silent?

I'm trying to write some new Advent, Christmas and Epiphany hymns. I don't post them on the internet, though, until my pastor gives them the theological check up and approves the lyrical content. They're at www.gardenrosemusic.com.

Stev, you hit it on the head! I get caught up in the errors at times, but Christmas is the time that we celebrate the coming of the Savior, whenever He was born! Thank you for the reminder! I pray that we all are taking the opportunities given to share Christ with a needy world. God bless you!

So WHAT?
Yes, mistakes, and interesting to read, but you seem to get a bit too 'wrapped up'(Christmas pun) in your idea of mistakes. Enjoy this beauteous time of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Shepherds, Magi, wassail, Joytime, goodies and caroling Season. You really went too far with "Silent Night, Holy Night."
Think the articles were interesting for interesting sake, but remember for your own self, "Jesus is King, St. Mary is the chosen woman of God, and St. Joseph is Jesus' adopted father." Joyeus Season of Seasons to You!!!

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Categories

who we are

Free Newsletters

What We're Reading

Top Eight Historically Incorrect Christmas Songs

Comments

recent posts

Archives

Categories

who we are

Free Newsletters

What We're Reading

Our Blogroll

Top Eight Historically Incorrect Christmas Songs

Comments

recent posts

Archives