Lullay lullow, lullay lully,
Beway bewy, lullay lullow,
Lullay  lully,
Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.

I saw a sweet and  seemly sight,
A blissful burd, a blossom bright,
That morning made  and mirth among.

Lullay lullow, lullay lully,
Beway bewy,  lullay lullow,
Lullay lully,
Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.

A  maiden mother, meek and mild,
In cradle keep, a knavë child,
That  softly sleep; she sat and sang.

Baw me bairne, sleep softly now.
Lullay  lullow, lullay lully,
Beway bewy, lullay lullow,
Lullay lully,
Baw  me bairne, sleep softly now.

About the headline (FAQ)

The first Christmas carol written in English

Text Authorship:

• by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Helen Grime (b. 1981), "Lullay, lullow", subtitle: "I saw a sweete seemly sight", 2013 [ satb chorus, harp and strings ], Chester Music
      Publisher: Wise Music Classical [external link]
      Score: Issuu [external link]  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Kurt Knecht (b. 1971), "A Scottish Christmas Lullaby", 2012 [ chorus ], Pavane Publishing
      Score: Pavane Publishing [external link]  [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-12-14
Line count: 19
Word count: 92