I've just realised that when I posted the version collected by Vaughan Williams and Ella Leather from Esther Smith that I didn't post the lyrics. You'll see that May Bradley had remembered her mothers words extrememly closely, 50 or so years later!

ON CHRISTMAS DAY

On Christmas day it happened so,
Down in those meadows for to plow;
As he were plowing on so fast,
Up comes sweet Jesus His-self at last.

"O man! O man! what makes you plow
So hard upon the Lord’s birthday?"
The farmer answered Him with great speed,
"For the plow this day we have great need."

Now his arms did quaver to and fro,
His arms did quaver he could not plow,
For the ground did open and lose him in
Before he could repent of sin.

His/my wife and children are out of place,
His/my beasts and cattle they die away,
His/my beasts and cattle they die away,
For breaking of our Lord’s birthday.

Source: Mrs Esther Smith, Dilwyn, Herefordshire, 1912, published in R Vaughan Williams and E M Leather: Twelve Traditional Carols from Herefordshire". 1920



In the Twelve Traditional Carols... RVW published an altered text to be sung: "For the purpose of singing it has been necessary to emend entirely the text of this Carol." The emendations seem to have been suggested by Lucy Broadwood.

For completeness, here are his singing words as emended:

ON CHRISTMAS DAY

On Christmas day we forth did go,
Down in the meadows for to plow.
As he were plowing on so fast,
Up came sweet Jesus Himself at last.

"O man! O man! why plow I pray
So hard upon the Lord’s birthday?"
The farmer answered Him with speed,
"For the plow this day we have great need."

His arms did quaver to and fro,
His arms did quaver, he could not plow;
The ground did open and took him in,
Before he could repent of sin.

His wife and children have no employ,
His beasts and cattle they pine and die,
His beasts and cattle they die away,
For the breaking of our Lord’s birthday.


Source: R Vaughan Williams and E M Leather: Twelve Traditional Carols from Herefordshire", 1920