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10 December - Torches

Yesterday - Up - Tomorrow

Another childhood memory - this was one of the standard Carol Service pieces at St Barnabas' church, Linslade, when I was a child, and I'm not sure I've ever sung it anywhere else. Carols for Choirs 1 again, number 42. Apparently it was so well-received after John Joubert wrote the tune for a translated Galician carol in 1951 that he later said, "I've even had carol-singers come to the door and singing it, without knowing the composer lives inside."

Music: John Joubert
Words: Traditional Galician, trans. J. B. Trend
Musicians: Kathleen Jowitt, Tony Evershed

Torches, torches, run with torches
All the way to Bethlehem!
Christ is born and now lies sleeping;
Come and sing your song to him.

Torches, torches, run with torches
All the way to Bethlehem!
Christ is born and now lies sleeping;
Come and sing your song to him.

Ah, Ro-Ro, Ro-Ro my baby,
Ah, Ro-Ro my love, Ro-Ro;
Sleep you well, my heart's own darling,
While we sing you our Ro-Ro.

Sing, my friends, and make you merry,
Joy and mirth and joy again;
Lo, he lives, the King of Heaven,
Now and evermore. Amen.

Lo, he lives, the King of Heaven,
Now and evermore. Amen.