Several versions are known. The following are from Richard Leighton Greene, The Early Engish Carols, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 1977, pp. 80-82; without music).

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BOAR'S HEAD CAROL

132
A. Balliol College, Oxford. MS. 354 XVI cent.

f. 228r

 Caput apri refero,
 Resonens laudes Domino.

[1]
The boris hed in hondes I brynge,
With garlondes gay and byrdes syngynge;
I pray you all, helpe me to synge,
 Qui estis in conviuio.

[2]
The boris hede, I vnderstond,
Ys cheff seruyce in all this londe;
Whersoever it may be fonde,
 Seruitur cum sinapio.

[3]
The boris hede, I dare well say,
Anon after the Twelfth Day
He taketh his leve and goth away,
 Exiuit tunc de patria.

MS. marks burden: fote.
stza. 3, l. 2. Twelfth] MS. xiith.

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B. Bodleian Library. Rawlinson 4to. 598 (10) (Wynkyn de Worde) 1521

verso

 Caput apri differo,
 Reddens laudes Domino.

[1]
The bores heed in hande bring I,
With garlans gay and rosemary;
I pray you all, synge merely,
 Qui estis in conuiuio.

[2]
The bores heed, I vnderstande,
Is the chefe seruyce in this lande;
Loke, where euer it be fande,
 Seruite cum cantico.

[3]
Be gladde, lordes, bothe more and lasse,
 For this hath ordeyned our stewarde
To chere you all this Christmasse,
 The bores heed with mustarde.

Heading in original: A caroll bringyng in the bores heed.
burden, l. 2. laudes] Orig. laudens.
stza. 2, l. 2. chefe] Orig. thefe.
At end: Finis.
A MS. note at the head (XVI cent.) reads: a carrol to syng. The same hand has written after the Finis: Roger . . y . . e (surname illegible).

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C a. Queen's College, Oxford. Traditional version 1921

 Caput apri defero,
 Reddens laudes Domino.

[1]
The Boar's head in hand bear I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.
And I pray you, masters, be merry,
 Quot estis in convivio.

[2]
The Boar's head, as I understand,
Is the bravest dish in all the land,
When thus bedeck'd with a gay garland.
 Let us servire cantico.

[3]
Our steward hath provided this,
In honour of the King of Bliss,
Which on this day to be served is,
 In Reginensi Atrio.

b. Queen's College, Oxford. Traditional version, 1811

stza. 1, l. 3. masters] my masters.
stza. 2, l. 2. bravest] rarest. the (2)] this.
l. 3. When thus bedeck'd] Which thus bedeck'd.
The following readings are supplied from MS. notes in the Bodleian Library's copy of Dibdin's Typographical Antiquities (London, 1812) 'from a MS. in the handwriting of T. Hearne, anno 1718':
stza. 1, l. 3. you] ye. be merry] merry be.
stza. 2, l. 2. rarest] bravest.
stza. 3, l. 1. hath] has.

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133
British Museum. MS. Addit. 5665 XVI cent.

f. 7v

 Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
 Tydynges gode Y thyng[ke] to telle.
 Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
 Tydynges gode Y thyngke *to telle. [*f. 8r

[1]
The borys hede that we bryng here
Betokeneth a Prince withowte pere
Ys born this day to bye vs dere;
 Nowell, nowelle.

[2]
A bore ys a souerayn beste [f. 7v
And acceptab[l]e in euery feste;
So mote thys Lord be to moste and leste;
 Nowell, [nowelle.]

[3]
This borys hede we bryng with song
In worchyp of hym that thus sprang
Of a virgine to redresse all wrong;
 Nowell, [nowelle.]

MS. heading: In die natiuitatis.
stza. 1, l. 3. vs] MS. vus.
Signature: Smert.

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134
Bodleian Library. MS. Eng. poet. e. I XV cent.

f. 29v

 Po, po, po, po,
 Loue brane and so do mo.

[I]
At the begynnyng of the mete
Of a borys hed ye schal hete,
And in the mustard ye xal wete,
 And ye xal syngyn or ye gon.

[2]
Wolcum be ye that ben here,
And ye xal haue ryth gud chere,
And also a ryth gud fare,
 And ye xal syngyn or ye gon.

[3]
Welcum be ye euerychon,
For ye xal syngyn ryth anon;
Hey yow fast, that ye had don,
 And ye xal syngyn or ye gon.

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135
Lord Harlech, National Library of Wales. MS. Porkington 10 XV cent.

f. 202r

 Hey, hey, hey, hey!
 The borrys hede is armyd gay.

[1]
The boris hede in hond I bryng,
With garlond gay in porttoryng;
I pray yow all with me to synge, [f. 202v
 With hay!

[2]
Lordys, knyghttus and skyers,
Persons, prystis, and wycars,
The boris hede ys the fur[s]t mes,
 With hay!

[3]
The boris hede, as I yow say,
He takis his leyfe and gothe his way
Son after the Tweylffyt Day,
 With hay!

[4]
Then commys in the secund kowrs with mykyll pryd,
The crannus and the heyrronus, the bytteris by ther syde,
The pertrychys and the plowers, the wodcokus and the snyt,
 With hay!

[5]
Larkys in hoot schow, ladys for to pyk,
Good drynk therto, lycyvs and fynn,
Blwet of allmaynn, romnay and wyin,
 With hay!

[6]
Gud bred, alle, and wyin, dare I well say,
The boris hede with musterd armyd soo gay.

[7]
Furmante to potdtage, with wennissun fynn,
And the hombuls of the dow, and all that euer commis in.

[8]
Cappons ibake, with the pesys of the roow,
Reysons of corrans, with odyre spysis moo.

stza. 1, l. 2. With] MS. Wtt (so throughout).
stza. 3, 1. 3. Tweylffyt] MS. xii theylffyt.

~Masato