I wonder if anyone can help with finding the source of this carol. The Oxford Carol Book says !"Words and melody from Sandys, 1833 in many broadsides. This is probably based on a secular song....." I have always loved verse 1 but the remaining verses don't fit so well with the tune.The stresses seem wrong. I suspect the writer of the broadside based it on older material. (The OCB suggests a seventeenth century origin for the words.) I would love to track down the original secular song if it exists or any other information about its origins.
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