The Holly and the Ivy

The Holly and the Ivy

Carol, England (U.K.)

“The Holly and the Ivy” is a traditional British Christmas carol that makes reference to two plants.

These plants have been a standard of British Christmas decoration for church use since the 15th and 16th century.

Table of Contents

Sing-Along Video with Lyrics

The Holly and the Ivy | Christmas S...
The Holly and the Ivy | Christmas Sing-Along with Lyrics

Lyrics

1. The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

    Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
    The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

2. The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet saviour

    Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
    The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

3. The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

    Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
    The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

4. The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn.

    Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
    The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

5. The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

   Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
    The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

6. The holly and the ivy, now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

    Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
    The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

Click here for more free printable Christmas lyrics.

Click on the button to watch a karaoke video and download a PDF file with lyrics to this song for free.

Free karaoke MP3 download

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“The Holly and the Ivy” (instrumental, 3:30 – 3/4 – 80 bpm)

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Song

This is the song with vocals, which you can find on our albums or license for commercial use.

Commercial License for The Holly and the Ivy (song)

Purchase a license that permits the commercial use of this track. You can license this track for:

YouTube license

YouTube License

Meta - Facebook and Instagram license

Insta/FB License

TikTok License

TikTok License

Other commercial licenses

Other License

Not sure which license is best for you?

Read our licensing page or contact us!

Click on the button to watch a piano tutorial video and download a PDF file with music score of this song for free.

The Holly and the Ivy Sheet Music

The Holly and the Ivy Sheet Music
The Holly and the Ivy
The Holly and the Ivy

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