Christmas Carols are interesting. In an attempt to keep things as simple as possible, I’ll categorize them into three groups: purely sacred carols, somewhat sacred carols, and secular carols.

It’s easy to identify purely sacred carols like “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” because they actually refer to the Christmas story and have Biblical references. Likewise, secular carols are easy to identity – they tend to be about a general holiday feeling of warmth and love, or mention Santa Claus.

Then there’s that “somewhat sacred” group. “The Holly and the Ivy” is a song about plants, and the only association with religion is that the words make rhymes about Mary. “King Jesus hath a Garden” is also about vegetation, with metaphorical associations to Christ-like virtues. Then there’s the “Cherry Tree Carol” (again about a plant), a totally non-Biblical story which barely has a religious message at all. Some argue that these originated long ago from Pagan solstice celebrations and were adopted and changed into Christian music.

These “somewhat sacred” carols are still sung today in churches, but you’d never hear them at the mall. They mention sacred things, but their theology isn’t exactly rock-solid. Not too long ago, they were considered completely secular, and would never have been sung in a church.

Anyway, today’s piece is a gorgeous German somewhat-sacred carol. And yes, plant life is mentioned.

Mary wandered through a thorny wood, Lord, have mercy,
which was leafless for seven years – Jesus and Mary.

What did Mary carry by her heart? Lord, have mercy.
A little baby without pain – Jesus and Mary.