Origins: What Month Was Jesus Born In?

Subject: When Was Jesus Born
From: GUEST,Pooby
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 04:15 PM

I've been hearing this real catchy gospel-type seasonal tune, "When Was Jesus Born," on the local public radio station (a plug for 90.5 "The Night" in central NJ). Anyone have the lyrics (and chords?) and care to post them, or steer me in a useful direction on the Web?

I've already checked Google and Mudcat's lyrics database -- nothing doing. No reasonable offer of help in this quest will be refused.

Merry Christmas, one and all.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 04:53 PM

Do you have any lyric snippets at all? Wouldn't be Jewel's "I Wonder As I Wander" would it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 05:28 PM

I thought this was a dating game! Just for the record he wasn't born in year zero, of that we can be adamant.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: masato sakurai
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 05:59 PM

Marion Williams & The Stars of Faith recorded "When Was Jesus Born" in 1959 (Savoy 4128). It was reissued on V.A., Savoy Female Gospel Rarities (P-Vine (Japan) PCD-5446). Sorry, I can't transcribe it.
~Masato

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgnb1w1Dgt8

Subject: ADD: What Month Was Jesus Born In?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 06:21 PM

Hmmm. Could the song be "What Month Was Jesus Born In? (Last Month of the Year)"?? I notice that we don't have lyrics for that posted anywhere that I could find. I know Sandy Paton sang it on a CD ['Twas on a Night Like This - A Christmas Legacy], but that CD is at my sweetie's house right now. I found pretty good lyrics here (click). The Ruby Pickens Tartt Collection has A copy of the sheet music entitled, "The Last Month of the Year" (What Month was Jesus Born In?) Words and music by Vera Hall, adapted by Ruby Pickens Tartt and Alan Lomax, but I don't know how to get hold of that sheet music for review. Anyhow, here's one version.
-Joe Offer-

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WHAT MONTH WAS JESUS BORN IN?
after a song by Vershall Ward (Vera Hall??)

What month was Jesus born in ?
Last month of the year
What month was Jesus born in ?
Last month of the year

Oh, Lord, you got January, February, March, oh Lord
You got April, May and June Lord
You got the July, August, September, October and November
You got twenty-fifth day of December
It's the last month in the year

He was born in an ox-stall manger
Last month of the year
What month was Jesus born in ?
Last month of the year

I'm talking about Mary's baby
Last month of the year
I'm talking about Mary's baby
Last month of the year

Subject: ADD: Last Month of the Year
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 06:29 PM

Here's the Kingston Trio version.
-Joe Offer-

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THE LAST MONTH OF THE YEAR
(Vera Hall)

What month was my Jesus born in? Last month of the year! (Repeat)

Chorus:
Oh, January, (January), February, (February), March, April, May, June, O, Lord,
You got July, August, September, October, and-a November,
On the twenty-fifth day of December in the last month of the year.

Well, they laid Him in the manger. Last month of the year! (Repeat then chorus)

Wrapped Him up in swaddling clothing. Last month of the year! (Repeat then chorus)

Well, He was born of the Virgin Mary. Last month of the year! (Repeat then chorus)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From:
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 07:08 PM

Of course, we all know it was more likely he was born around mid fall, probably around October.

According to the reconstructions, there was a major astronomic event coinciding with that month, about 3 or 5 years BCE where three major planets had a conjunction.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: little john cameron
Date: 17 Dec 01 - 07:41 PM

Ah think he was born about 4yrs before his birth. ljc

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 18 Dec 01 - 06:46 PM

What's more, he USED to be born on January 6th, before the Gregorian calendar shifted it to December! (See The Cherry Tree Carol.)

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 18 Dec 01 - 10:46 PM

I know the tune, and will try to think of some way to get it to you here; maybe my son knows how... My first "big" concert in NYC, around 1947, was in the MacMillan Auditorium on the Columbia U. campus. It was narrated by Alan Lomax, and the performers were, Vera Hall, Texas Gladden & Hobart Smith, Everitt Pitt (from northwest; played hammered dulcimer),Andrew Rowen-Summers and myself. Texas tried valiantly to fix me up with her son (back home, fortunately), and Andrew R-S complained bitterly to me that he just never could play the dulcimer after those loud instruments had been played ahead of him (guitars, and the hammered dulcimer, were the only ones I saw). I told him just to stop his ears up while they were playing, and do you know, he DID? Anyway, Vera sang, "What month was Jesus Born In," and did the beautiful little "speechifyin" afterwards, that left us all in helpless tears.

I think I recall it exactly as she sang it that night. I have heard several others sing the song, but none of them really caught her tune (Sandy, you came close!). It should be OK on the Lomax site, though- I haven't checked. Jean

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Dec 01 - 11:14 PM

The American Memory Collection (click) of the Library of Congress has several Lomax recordings of Vera Hall, but not "Last Month of the Year." I'd love to hear her sing it. This is one time when Jean Ritchie would be second-best - but I'd still like to hear you sing it, Jean. Maybe you could have your son put it on your Website?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Was Jesus Born
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Dec 01 - 09:24 AM

The printed music of "What Month Was Jesus Born" is in The Penguin Book of American Folk Songs by Alan Lomax (p. 84; titled "What Month Was Jesus Born In?"), The Second Penguin Book of Christmas Carols by Elizabeth Poston (p. 119; titled "Last Month o' the Year, When Was Jesus Born?"), and 32 Galliard Spirituals by June Tillman (Stainer, 1982, p. 18; titled "Tell Me , What Month Was My Jesus Born In?"). Recordings are by Odetta (on Christmas Spirituals), The Staple Singers (on V.A., Gospel Christmas), and Fairfield Four (on Standing in the Safety Zone).

~Masato

Subject: Fairfield Four & Statler Brothers
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Dec 01 - 02:55 PM

I suppose one could question the authenticity of the gospel music recorded by the Fairfield Four. Seems to me that they are to black gospel, what the Statlers are to white gospel. Doesn't matter much to me - I love the two Fairfield Four CD's that I have, and they do an especially good job on this song. I like Statlers gospel, too.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ADD: What Month Was Jesus Born In? (Vera Hall)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Dec 24 - 05:11 PM

Up above, Masato told us that Marion Williams & The Stars of Faith recorded "When Was Jesus Born" in 1959 (Savoy 4128). Here's a link to the recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgnb1w1Dgt8

WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?
(from the Norah Jones recording)

Oh tell me when was Jesus born
It was the last month of the year
Oh when was Jesus born
It was the last month of the year
When was Jesus born
It was the last month of the year

It wasn't, January, February
March, April, or May
June, July, August, September, October, November
It was the twenty-fifth day of December
It was the last month of the year

Born by the Virgin Mary
In the last month of the year
He was born by the Virgin Mary
In the last month of the year
Born by the Virgin Mary
In the last month of the year

It wasn't, January, February
March, April, or May, oh
June, July, August, September, October, November
It was the twenty-fifth day of December
It was the last month of the year

Born in an ox manger
In the last month of the year
Was born in an ox manger
In the last month of the year
Born in an ox manger
In the last month of the year

It wasn't, January, February
March, April, or May, oh
June, July, August, September, October, November
It was the twenty-fifth day of December
It was the last month of the year

When was Jesus born
Was the last month of the year

It wasn't, January, February
March, April, or May, oh, oh
June, July, August, September, October, November
It was the twenty-fifth day of December
It was the last month of the year


Norah Jones recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-jVXibGkWY

Zambian Vocal Group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm7gBO5u2-A

Fairfield Four: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKFckAVv9pw

And here's the Vera Ward Hall recording, collected by Alan Lomax in 1959: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWXi-2-8Ud0

Betty May Bowman (date unclear): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2tV8Tr5hH8

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Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry:

What Month Was Jesus Born In?

DESCRIPTION: "What month was Jesus born in? Last month in the year." The song details Jesus' birth in December and the humble cercumstances of his birth.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (recording, Heavenly Gospel Singers)
KEYWORDS: Bible religious Jesus
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Courlander-NegroFolkMusic, pp. 58-59, "(What Month Was Jesus Born In?") (1 text); pp. 245-246, "What Month Was Jesus Born In?" (1 tune, partial text)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 384, "Tell Me What Month Was My Jesus Born In?" (1 text)
NorthCarolinaFolkloreJournal, various authors, "A Singing Stream: A Black Family Chronicle" [an entire issue about a documentary of the Landis Family], Vol. XXXVI, No. 1 (Winter 1989), p. 53, "When Was Jesus Born?" (1 text, contained in the script of the documentary)
Roud #13975
RECORDINGS:
Vera Ward Hall, "No Room At the Inn/The Last Month of the Year" (on NFMAla5) (on LomaxCD1706); "What Month Was Jesus Born In" (on ReedWard01)
Heavenly Gospel Singers, "When Was Jesus Born?" (Bluebird B-8907, 1941; on Babylon)
Pete Seeger, "What Month Was Jesus Born" (on PeteSeeger12)
NOTES [110 words]: It should be noted that there is no Biblical evidence that Jesus was born in December; indeed, those scholars who have an opinion generally think he was born in spring.
In any case, December was not always the "last month of the year"; in the classical Roman calendar, it was the tenth month, and even after this changed, it was remembered for quite some time. In addition, for much of the Middle Ages, the new year began on March 25 (approximating the equinox).
Even if we ignore all that, Jesus was Jewish, and would have used the Jewish calendar, which had no month of December. Nor was its (approximate) equivalent of December the last month of the year. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.1
File: CNFM245

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Subject: RE: Origins: What Month Was Jesus Born In?
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 20 Dec 24 - 06:40 PM

the album "Odetta at Town Hall
has a live performance of Odetta singing it,
with the double-bass her only accompaniment.
She does not do the speechifying part.
Her album notes reference "Vera Hall".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3U05hq_0aQ&list=PLIKQ2PE0EeVQqywQuGsWEU1cShY0XQQXg&index=15

Subject: RE: Origins: What Month Was Jesus Born In?
From: Neil D
Date: 25 Dec 24 - 08:53 PM

I always figured he was born in the spring of the year. His parents were on their way to pay their taxes and in the Roman Empire taxes were due in the spring like they still are in the US.

Subject: RE: Origins: What Month Was Jesus Born In?
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 25 Dec 24 - 11:10 PM

Ancient civilizations generally considered the year to start at the vernal equinox or thereabouts.

Subject: RE: Origins: What Month Was Jesus Born In?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Dec 24 - 04:36 PM

Modern theologians generally say we have no idea when Jesus was born, and speculation is futile. I think I'd agree. Nonetheless, it's a nice song.