Scripture Verse

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. Matthew 2:16

Introduction

Words & Mu­sic: Re­nai­ssance car­ol (🔊 pdf nwc). It is named af­ter the city of Co­ven­try, Eng­land, where the 15th Cen­tu­ry Pa­geant of the Shear­men and Tail­ors de­pict­ed Her­od’s slaugh­ter of the in­no­cents, told in the lyr­ics.

Lyrics

illustration
Slaughter of the Innocents
Carl H. Bloch (1834–1890)

Lully, lul­lay, Thou lit­tle ti­ny Child,
By, by, lul­ly, lul­lay.

O sis­ters too, how may we do,
For to pre­serve this day
This poor Young­ling for whom we sing
By, by, lul­ly, lul­lay?

Herod the king, in his rag­ing,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young child­ren to slay.

That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ev­er morn and day
For Thy part­ing nei­ther say nor sing,
By, by, lul­ly, lul­lay.

Lully, lul­lay, Thou lit­tle ti­ny Child,
By, by, lul­ly, lul­lay.