Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'

Subject: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: GUEST,PaulM
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 06:59 AM

Bit of an obsure query, but maybe someone will be able to help.

In 1991, Martin Carthy recorded the song 'Christ Made a Trance' for a charity compilation album 'All Through the Year'

The lyrics can be found on Garry Gillard's excellent site http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/~gillard/watersons/christ.html
https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/christmadeatrance.html

The song is credited as traditional, but I've never come across it anywhere else. Even a Google Search only brings up references to the Carthy recording.

Does anyone have any information on the song at all?

Many thanks

Paul

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: pavane
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 07:24 AM

It might be the same one as on 'Rattlebone & Ploughjack'. Those words certainly occur

From memory, other lines of that verse went

He made it with his hand
He made the sun clear off the moon
Like the water off dry land

In which case it was possibly taken from articles in the EFDSS magazine on Molly Dancing. (Or maybe Border Morris.)

I am not familiar with Carthy's recording.

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 07:33 AM

Related Rattlebone page

Garry Gillard

(I don't know where MC found this song.)

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 08:03 AM

It's a version of "God Made a Trance" (

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 08:12 AM

"God Made a Trance" is in Cecil Sharp's Collection, vol. 2 (Oxford UP, no. 362). Also in Frederick Woods' The Oxford Book of Traditional Verse (no. 182). The lyrics are HERE, too.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: GUEST,PaulM
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 08:18 AM

Many thanks guys.

Thanks a lot for the link, Masato. It also explains where the Steeleye Span album title 'Reservoir Butler rides again' originates from.

Appreciated

Paul

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 07:55 PM

Just to bring those URLs up to date. Martin Carthy's version of the song is now here. While the Rattlebone and Ploughjack page is here.

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 03:48 AM

Popular among English Travellers - Ella Leather published a version in the Journal of the Folk Song Society.
Included in Charlotte Burne's 'Shropshire Folklore'.
Also to be found in Jeremy Sandfords anthology of Gypsy songs 'Songs From The Roadside' about 20 years ago.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: GUEST,Rob King
Date: 13 Dec 20 - 09:16 AM

'"God made a Trance" is an old Worcestershire/Warwickshire carol. It was sung by Mrs Reservoir Butler of Armscote, near Shipstone on Stour, to Cecil Sharp and Mrs Stanton on 17 June 1913. Its origins are probably much older.

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 13 Dec 20 - 10:05 AM

The variant with the title 'Christ made a trance' is printed in Folk Song Journal 14 (1910) p12 sung by Angelina Whatton (a Gypsy) at The Homme, Dilwyn, as noted by Vaughan Williams in September, 1908. Apart from a few initial stanzas the rest of the carol is the same as 'The Moon shines bright' and it was printed on 19th century broadsides.

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: RTim
Date: 13 Dec 20 - 12:08 PM

Here it is by Martin Carthy :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwODQ8xtd14

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: RTim
Date: 13 Dec 20 - 06:44 PM

I have posted the page from The EFDSS web site of the original collected song....on the Mudcat Facebook page...

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 14 Dec 20 - 04:23 AM

Has anyone else ever been named 'Reservoir'?!
I wonder if it has anything to do with, ahem, location of conception.

Subject: RE: Help: 'Christ Made a Trance'
From: Reinhard
Date: 14 Dec 20 - 05:28 AM

I never noticed in nearly 50 years that it's Mrs Reservoir Butler and not Mr Butler as Steeleye Span's album "Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again" said.