Come Buy My Nice Fresh Ivy is a Christmas Carol

Christmas carol

A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...

 which originated in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.

The music is O'Carolan's Lament (Irish: Uaill-Cuma ui Cearballain), by Turlough O'Carolan

Turlough O'Carolan

Turlough Carolan, also known as Turlough O'Carolan, was a blind, early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer...

.

The lyrics were written by John Keegan (1809-1849). They were published originally in the first edition of The Irishman of 1849

Contemporary recordings can be found through the external link.

Lyrics

Come, buy my nice fresh ivy, and my holly sprigs so green.

I have the finest branches that ever yet were seen.

Come buy from me, good Christians, and let me home, I pray,

That God will bless your Christmas and a happy New Year's Day

Ah, won't you buy my ivy? It's the loveliest I've seen.

Ah, won't you buy my holly? Oh you who love the green.

Do take a little branch of each, and on my knees I'll pray

That God will bless your Christmas and a happy New Year's Day.

Like many traditional or older pieces a number of versions of the lyrics exist. For example:

Come buy my nice fresh ivy,

And my holly boughts so green,

I have the fairest branches,

That ever yet were seen.

Come buy from me good Christians,

And let me home I pray,

And I'll wish you a merry Christmas time,

And a happy New Year's Day.

Ah! won't you take my ivy?

The lovliest ever seen,

Ah! won't you have my holly boughts?

All you that love the Green.

Do! take a little bunch of each

And on my knees I'll pray,

That God may bless your Christmas

And be with you New Year's Day.

These are the lyrics performed by the Cór Na Nog Rté Choir in the opening moments of the 2002 movie Evelyn. The song is not on the film's soundtrack.

A longer version is:

"Come, buy my nice, fresh Ivy, and my Holly sprigs so green;

I have the finest branches that ever yet were seen.

Come, buy from me, good Christians, and let me home, I pray,

And I'll wish you Merry Christmas Times, and a happy New Year's Day"

"Ah! Won't you take my ivy? - the loveliest ever seen!

Ah! Won't you have my Holly boughs? - all you who love the Green!

Do! - take a little bunch of each, and on my knees I'll pray,

That God may bless your Christmas and be with you New Year's Day."

"This wind is black and bitter, and the hail-stones do not spare

My shivering form, my bleeding feet, and stiff, entangled hair;

Then, when the skies are pitiless, be merciful, I say -

So heaven will light your Christmas and the coming New Year's Day."

"Twas thus a dying maiden sung, while the cold hail rattled down,

And fierce winds whistled mournfully o'er Dublin's dreary town:--

One stiff hand clutched her Ivy sprigs and Holly boughs so fair;

With the other she kept brushing the haildrops from her hair

"So grim and statue-like she seemed, 'twas evident the Death

Was lurking in her footseps - while her hot impded breath

Too plainly told her early doom - though the burden of her lay

Was still of life and Christmas joys, and a Happy New Year's Day."

"Twas in that broad, bleak Thomas Street, I heard the wanderer sing,

I stood a moment in the mire, beyond the ragged ring-

My heart felt cold and lonely, and my thoughts were far away,

Where I was many a Christmas-tide and Happy New Year's Day."

"I dreamed of wanderings in the woods among the Holly Green;

I dreamed of my own native cot and porch with Ivy Screen:

I dreamed of lights forever dimm'd - of Hopes that can't return -

And dropped a tear on Christmas fires that never more can burn."

The ghost-like singer still sung on, but no one came to buy;

The hurrying crowd passed to and fro, but did not heed her cry;

She uttered one low, piercing moan-then cast her boughs away-

And smiling, cried-"I'll rest with God before the New Year's Day!"

"On New Year's Day I said my prayers above a new-made grave,

Dug recently in sacred soil, by Liffey's murmuring wave;

The Minstrel maid from Earth to Heaven has winged her happy way,

And now enjoys, with sister saints, an endless New Year's Day."

Turlough O'Carolan, also called Terence Carolan, born Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin was born in 1670, near Nobber

Nobber

Nobber is a village in north County Meath, Ireland. The village is built near a river called the Dee and near Whitewood Lake which is situated in the town land of Whitewood. It is on the Navan–Kingscourt road about north of Navan. This places the village about from the M50 motorway ; the...

, County Meath

County Meath

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

. He died on March 25, 1738, in Alderford

Alderford

Alderford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, about ten miles north-west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of 1.80 square kilometres and in 2001 had a population of 43 in 16 households...

, County Roscommon

County Roscommon

County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...

), one of the last Irish harpist-composers and the only one whose songs survive in both words and music in significant number. There are about 220 tunes provably attributed to him.

Alternative Titles

• Irish Flower Girl Song
• Irish Flower Girl's Song
• The Holly and Ivy Girl
• The Holly And The Ivy Girl

External links

• Hymns and Carols of Christmas