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The virgin Mary had a baby boy
- Psalms 145:12-13
- Matthew 1:21-25
- Luke 2:6-21
- John 20:31
- 385
The virgin mary had a baby boy,
the virgin Mary had a baby boy,
the virgin Mary had a baby boy
and they say that his name is Jesus.
He come from the glory,
he come from the glorious kingdom;
Yes! he come from the glory,
he come from the glorious kingdom:
O yes, believer!
O yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
he come from the glorious kingdom.
O yes …
2. The angels sang when the baby was born,
the angels sang when the baby was born,
the angels sang when the baby was born
and they sang that his name is Jesus.
3. The shepherds came where the baby was born,
the shepherds came where the baby was born,
the shepherds came where the baby was born
and they say that his name is Jesus.
West Indian Carol
The Son - His Birth and Childhood
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Tune
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The virgin Mary had a baby boy Metre: - 10 10 10 9 with chorus 69 79 55 69
Composer: - West Indian Traditional melody
The story behind the hymn
Although this carol from the Caribbean is anonymous and the words (in true carol tradition) somewhat flexible, it has been associated with the singing of 92-year old James Bryce in 1942, as noted down by the Trinidadian singer-actor Edric Connor. In 1945 it appeared in The Edric Connor Collection of West Indian Spirituals and Folk Tunes, the year after Connor had settled in England. By the 1960s it had become a widely-popular calypso-style song for Christmas from primary schools upwards; church hymnals have been steadily recognising the value of this genre of words and music, not least where the congregation is (like heaven) genuinely multicultural. Among recent books including it are HTC and the Hymns Old and New series, as well as Australian and N American hymnals and collections intended specifically for Christmas or for children. A familiar 4th stz ‘The wise men came …’ is omitted, as being less true to the facts unless it were to be redrafted. The tune remains for the time being THE VIRGIN MARY HAD A BABY BOY, but its original rhythm has been generally (and probably irreversibly) changed for the smoother.