22. All On a Christmas Morning
© Robbie O’Connell 1992 Slievenamon Music [BMI]
Back in the 1990s, I began doing Celtic Christmas concerts that became a staple of my December touring schedule for many years. I always enjoyed rebooting the seasonal music and songs that completely vanished for the rest of the year. They came back fresh and reinvigorated from their eleven months of rest and I welcomed them like old friends coming back for a brief visit.
The concept of a Celtic Christmas is inherently absurd as the Celts did not celebrate Christmas. However, the winter solstice was a major holiday in the Celtic calendar and our modern concept of Christmas celebrations contains many vestiges of those ancient celebrations. Holly wreaths, mistletoe, Yule logs, and feasting, are all aspects of the ancient world that were appropriated by Christians. Even the Christmas tree was a remnant of the tradition of bringing evergreens indoors to portend the reawakening of life in the natural world. The rebirth of the sun on the solstice corresponded so well to the birth of the savior, that the two traditions were easily blended into a successful hybrid celebration.
Growing up with a love of traditional songs, I naturally gravitate to old style Christmas songs. The Nowell Sing We Clear CDs that I discovered in the 1980s became the soundtrack of Christmas for my family and happily remain so. It just didn’t feel like a proper Christmas until our living room was filled with the rousing voices of John Roberts and Tony Barrand, sadly no longer with us.
So when I needed a new Christmas song for my concerts, I instinctively wrote one in the traditional style. As a child, I was fascinated by the story of the mysterious Three Wise Men following the Christmas star so I did a simple retelling of that with a repeating sing along line. Cherish the Ladies recorded a lovely version of it and a couple of choral groups, among others, have added it to their repertories. How ironic would it be if that was the song that a heathen like me was remembered for? Stranger things have happened.
Lyrics:
ALL ON A CHRISTMAS MORNING
© Robbie O’Connell 1992 Slievenamon Music [BMI]1
Three kings came riding from the East Just as the day was dawning The newborn king of kings to see All on a Christmas morning A fiery star it guided them Just as the day was dawning It brought them unto Bethlehem All on a Christmas morning They came unto a stable bare Just as the day was dawning And found the newborn infant there All on a Christmas morning Then down upon their knees they fell Just as the day was dawning The child he sweetly smiled on them All on a Christmas morning Three gifts they gave him to behold Just as the day was dawning Of frankincense and myrrh and gold All on a Christmas morning Three kings came riding from the East Just as the day was dawning The new-born king of kings to see All on a Christmas morning
If you have difficulty viewing this YouTube video, please comment and we will email you a copy of the MP3 or the video, whichever you prefer. At the moment we have challenged a claim regarding copyright as it references a version recorded in 1998 for the Aengus album, All On a Christmas Morning, on RCA Victor. This claim will restrict viewing in certain countries and territories and may last for 60 days. The recording in the video below is from a 2003 studio recording for a different project and therefore should not be restricted.
PRODUCTION NOTES:
Robbie O’Connell: guitar, vocal
George Keith: fiddle
Dan Isaacson: flute, bouzouki
Rushad Eggleston: cello
Roxanne O’Connell, Brian & Lindsay O’Donovan, Mary & Ned Casey: Harmony vocals
Eric Kilburn: Recording Engineer
Thank you for this, Robbie. For some strange reason, Nowell Sing We Clear has popped up a number of times in the last couple of days. A new subscriber to my email list found me through NSWC, I was commenting to my friend Nigel Schofield in a phone chat how his Midwinter Box set, which includes a number of NSWC songs, and now you mention how prevalent they are in your own experience. I miss John every single day and working with him for almost twelve years was a gift. Your music and friendship are a gift to me. Happy holidays to you, Roxanne and yours.
You've done me such a favor! Only a week ago we had a small singing party at our house, and I wanted to play this for our guests so they could learn it - and it was nowhere to be found online! A small holiday miracle to open my mailbox today and find it waiting for me. Thank you.