Tuning:

^GNow the holly ^Dbears a ^Gberry as ^Cwhite as ^Dthe ^Gmilk, And ^GMary ^Dbore ^GJesus, who was wr^Capped up ^Din s^Gilk: And ^GMary ^Cbore ^GJesus our Saviour ^Cto ^Gbe, And the ^Dfirst tree in the ^Ggreenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly. ^DHolly, ^Gholly, And the ^Dfirst tree in the g^Greenwood, it w^Amas the ^Dhol^Gly.

^GNow the holly ^Dbears a ^Gberry as ^Cgreen as ^Dthe ^Ggrass, And ^GMary ^Dbore ^GJesus, who ^Cdied on ^Dthe ^Gcross: And ^GMary ^Cbore ^GJesus our Saviour ^Cto ^Gbe, And ^Dthe first tree in the ^Ggreenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly. ^DHolly, h^Golly, And the ^Dfirst tree in the g^Greenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly.

^GNow the holly ^Dbears a ^Gberry as ^Cblack as ^Dthe ^Gcoal, And ^GMary ^Dbore ^GJesus, who ^Cdied for ^Dus a^Gll: And ^GMary ^Cbore ^GJesus our Saviour ^Cto ^Gbe, And ^Dthe first tree in the ^Ggreenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly. ^DHolly, h^Golly, And the ^Dfirst tree in the g^Greenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly.

^GNow the holly ^Dbears a ^Gberry, as ^Cblood it ^Dis r^Ged, Then t^Grust ^Dwe our ^GSaviour, who ^Crose from t^Dhe d^Gead: And ^GMary ^Cbore ^GJesus our Saviour ^Cto ^Gbe, And ^Dthe first tree in the ^Ggreenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly. ^DHolly, h^Golly, And the ^Dfirst tree in the g^Greenwood, it ^Amwas the ^Dhol^Gly.

This carol was so named because the melody and the first 3 verses were first transcribed in the 19th century from the singing of a villager in St. Day (also Sans Day, or St. They - named after a Breton saint venerated in Cornwall) in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall. A 4 stanza version in Cornish was subsequently published ('Ma gron war'n gelinen').Pastor Peter Prange also pointed out that the village of St. Day in Cornwall is named after the saint.

Misc Traditional - Sans day carol