Local poet Ruth Naylor and musician and arranger Wendy Chappell-Dick collaborate on this unique Christmas concert by the name of Naylor’s anthology of Christmas poems called Straw and All.
By combining Chappell-Dick’s music and Naylor’s poetry, they layer text and song to create a dialogue that covers politics, doubt, and faith, all within the setting of the Christmas story. The music and poetry share themes of the natural world, the mystery inherent in Christ’s birth: both the bitter along with the sweet. Much of the music in the concert is quite old, featuring European carols from 1400-1800s.
Naylor brings a contemporary voice to the traditional songs, with poems that mention shopping malls and car radios, yet always draw the listener back to the old story and timeless meaning of Christmas.
Impromptu Reward
Christmas spots the light
straight above our stable stage,
wiping out the shadows,
enabling us to play
our tiny love scenes,
straw and all,
without worry about audience
or applause–
without worry about lines.
The play is being written
day by day
and the practice
is the performance.
Each tender word
or touch
is video-taped, recorded
in the heaven of our hearts,
and a star hung in that sky
beats a thousand lights
on the world’s marquees.
Comfort, comfort ye my people; (Choir with Drum)
Comfort, comfort ye my people,
speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning ‘neath their sorrow’s load;
speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell her that her sins I cover,
and her warfare now is over.
For the herald’s voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
bidding all men to repentance,
since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him,
and the hills bow down to greet him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain:
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign,
For the glory of the Lord
now o’er the earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that his word is never broken.
Cherry Tree Carol/ I Wonder (Dulcimer)
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
He courted Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
It’s my guess
that Mary wasn’t exactly overjoyed
at the angel’s message.
God’s gift burden for her
was a surprise, perplexing
to say the least.
When Joseph and Mary walked through an orchard green
There were apples and cherries, many there to be seen
There were apples and cherries, many there to be seen
Then Mary spoke to Joseph so meek and so mild
“Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child”
“Oh Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child “
Surely it could not have been
the fulfillment of her girlhood dreams.
Did she want to wrestle
with the messenger or the message?
Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he
“Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee”
“Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee”
Did she wish
that God would call
some other one instead?
How did she tell Joseph?
Did she truly dread the risk?
Then Jesus spoke a few words from in Mary’s womb
Bow low down cherry tree that my mother can have some
Bow low down cherry tree that my mother can have some
So the cherry-tree bowed low down, low down to the ground
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood around
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood around
Oh, Mary, I think I know.
But did you really have a choice
once you had heard that mystical voice?
Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee
Crying, “What have I done Lord, have mercy on me”
Crying, “What have I done Lord, have mercy on me”
When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He married Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
He married Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
I saw Three Ships (Choir with Drum)
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day?
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day in the morning?
The Virgin Mary and her baby…
His precious love she brought to me…
O they sailed into Bethlehem,…
And all the bells on earth shall ring,…
We need no gold, we need no greed…
Then let us all rejoice and sing,..
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Snowflakes are falling/ A Savior Is Born (Dulcimer)
Snowflakes are falling, the angels are calling
O come to the crib and adore
There in the manger a dear little stranger has two tiny hands to implore
Mary is smiling, the while she’s compiling these memories to cherish and keep
One day she’ll sign for these days long gone by when she rocked a wee king to sleep
The angel song was not a lullaby
for most of the world was already asleep.
Clear voices filled the darkened sky
and those who heard left their sheep
to find the babe the song proclaimed.
These humble men were a chosen few—
the kind of folk who were not ashamed
to listen up and follow through.
Angels are singing their glad voices ringing
But Bethlehem sleeps, unaware
Cradled in hay on that first Christmas day, little king did you long for a prayer
Had I been there in the stable so bare, with the noise of the town set apart
While wise men did bring precious gifts for their king, I’d gladly have given my heart
It mattered not that others might question
their sanity –for angels and mystical signs
can’t be believed. That’s the confession
of rational and well trained minds.
But the song has gone on through many ages
–its message affirmed in the voice of sages.
Wildwood Carol/ Bow Down or Stand Tall (Dulcimer, Aeolian tuning)
Sing o the wild wood, the green holly
The silent river and barren tree
The humble creatures that no man sees
Sing O the wild wood
A poet once imagined that
the shepherds at Bethlehem
undoubtedly taught the three
Oriental kings how to kneel
at the manger. I think not!
Those kings were wise ones
who surely would have known
courtly ways and manners.
A weary journey one winter’s night
No hope of shelter, no rest in sight
Who was the creature that bore Mary?
A simple donkey
I propose that the shepherds,
surprised by angel song
and curious beyond belief,
sought out the manger
where the babe was cradled—
Mary and Joseph standing by.
Instead of kneeling down, they
probably asked to pick him up
then held him to their hearts,
caring not a whit in that smelly
shed about their burlap shirts
or the animals that milled about.
And when they came into Bethl’hem town
They found a stable to lay them down
For their companions that Christmas night
An ox and an ass
The other seekers, royally robed,
guided by prophecy and a star
to places yet unknown, were eager
to bow low and present the gifts
they’d brought to the infant king.
They knelt in the royal presence.
The humble shepherds stood tall
for they’d been favored by angels.
And then an angel came down to earth
To bear the news of the Saviour’s birth
The first to marvel were shepherds poor
And sheep with their lambs
No Artificial Branches
Needles,
of evergreen,
have fallen
and lie in heaps
around the Christmas tree.
Tonight
the fragrance of what is
Real
begins
to permeate
the room.
Even
as the tree dies
the joy
and ever living truth
of its season
remains.
What is this lovely fragrance/Birth of the Impossible (Guitar)
What is this lovely fragrance stealing?
Shepherds that fills the winter air
Never was sweetness so appealing
Never were flowers of spring so fair
What is this lovely fragrance stealing?
Shepherds that fills the winter air
Only the blind cannot see
hunger and heartbreak
or tears streaming down an anguished face.
What is this light so fair, so tender
Breaking upon our wond’ring eyes
Never the morning star so radiant
Followed his course o’er eastern skies
What is this light so fair, so tender
Breaking upon our wond’ring eyes
Only the deaf cannot hear
voices of greed and
the clanking of arms in a useless race
where love’s ligaments are torn.
What is this wonder all around us
Filling the air with music light?
Shepherds, some magic here hath found us
Never mine ears knew such delight
What is this wonder all around us
Filling the air with music light?
Only the dead do not despise
torture and death squads—
life’s freedoms profaned in human disgrace.
Captives to sin and despair
Jesus the Christ child
has come to release –and conflict replace
with Kingdom life, justice, and peace.
What is this lovely fragrance stealing?
Shepherds, it sets my heart astir
Never was sweetness so appealing
Never were flowers of spring so fair
What is this lovely fragrance stealing?
Shepherds, it sets my heart astir
The blind shall receive their sight;
deaf ones will hear that
captives are free and death is erased.
Nonsense becomes sensible: mystical miracle.
Holly and The Ivy (Choir A’ Capella)
The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a blossom As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To be our sweet Saviour
The holly bears a berry As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To do poor sinners good
The holly bears a prickle As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ On Christmas Day in the morn.
The holly bears a bark As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ For to redeem us all.
Maria Wanders Through the Thorn/The Call to Understanding (Guitar)
Maria wanders through the thorn
Kyrie Eleison
Maria wanders through the thorn
That seven years no bloom has borne
Jesus and Maria
I do not understand
the mysteries of Christ’s birth
and death nor do I understand
just how or why
Jesus gives life worth.
But when we learn to love
both mysteries and the man,
faith and childlike trust
give away the need
to understand.
As with the Child she passes near
Kyrie Eleison
As with the Child she passes near
Red roses on the thorn appear
Jesus and Maria
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/ A Time to Celebrate (Dulcimer instrumental, Aeolian tuning)
Every Christmas season
invites us one and all
to finish early at the uptown mall,
ignore our tired and freezin’
feet and then, within reason,
take time to play and deck the hall.
Every Christmas season
invites us one and all
to declare cold weather pleasin’
–bundle up and have a ball,
make angels in the snow, and call
cheery greetings just like children
every Christmas season.
Bonny Portmore/Snowed Out (Guitar)
O bonny Portmore, I am sorry to see
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree
For it stood on your shore for many’s the long day
Till the long boats from Antrim came to float it away.
Jesus can’t get through in the rinkle tinkle of Christmas—
Snow has closed the highways of our hearts.
And there’s a wrinkle in our swaddling cloths.
Heavenly peace eludes us in this illusion of a party
To celebrate his birth.
O bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.
What on earth is a holy child to do?
If only we could hold him close!
We’ve snowed ourselves in
And inadvertently snowed him out
All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep
Saying, “Where will we shelter or where will we sleep?”
For the Spruce and the Pine, they are all cutten down
And the walls of bonny Portmore are all down to the ground.
Christmas Calls in the Crisis/Lo How a Rose (Dulcimer instrumental)
Ours is a hustle bustle
jingle bell
buy and sell
your gifts kingdom
where blankets of snow
provide protective care
and graciously cover
the scars of Earth
for a while
but do not heal
the hurts underneath.
The gift of love
truly shared
invites the pain
and hurt inside
to find comfort
at a compassionate hearth
where listening happens.
Ours is a rich and deep
carillon bell
love and share
your gifts kingdom
where we can help
to shovel away
the heavy burden,
warm the freezing heart,
and then share the source
of energy and light
that empowers caring.
Christmas
The silence
of the centuries
gave birth
in Bethlehem
to a fledgling faith.
May acceptance
and hope beyond belief
be born anew
this holy season.
May God’s Love increase
and lead
our fear-filled world
to peace
beyond our understanding.
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree/ Christmas Traffic (Guitar)
The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.
Into our red and green world
Of stop and go preoccupation
screeching to halt, spinning to start again
hardly noticing the driver beside us
His beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne’er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.
Into our red and green world
Of anger and envy
drag-racing to beat others at the game of life
offended when we come in second
For happiness I long have sought,
And pleasure dearly I have bought:
I missed of all; but now I see
‘Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
Into our red and green world
Of misused debt and plenty
a dollar down and a dollar a week
spending for selfish ends
I’m weary with my former toil,
Here I will sit and rest awhile:
Under the shadow I will be,
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.
Yes, into our red and green
Holiday world,
come again, Love,
and save us.
This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive;
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
Before and Beyond
The silence of the centuries
gave way to song
that Bethlehem night–
giving birth
to a fledgling faith.
May hope beyond belief
inspire
angels, shepherds, kings
and all of us
this holy season.
May God’s love increase
and lead
our fear-filled world
to peace–
beyond our understanding.
Christmas Eve on the Highway – #1/Away in a Manger (Guitar instrumental)
A single star
fails to break through
the cloud filled sky
tonight.
Its hazy light
is disbursed
and the muggy atmosphere
of this foreign state
seems a far cry
from childhood’s crisply defined
air of Christmas Eve.
In those days
warm blankets of snow
hugged the earth
and reflected the glorious light
of faith’s star.
The sky was not filled
with knowledge
but with angels,
and my heart was filled
with songs that I still hear
but seldom sing
in the daily demands
that fill my adult days.
Then, the misty sentiment
of days when life and belief
were simpler
turns my mind to carols
on the car radio,
and I join the song
that’s being carried across
the air waves and the years.
An angelic voice
speaks from nowhere
to my everywhere:
“Fear not!
Though the night seems dark,
there are good tidings
of great joy.
God breaks through
in ever new ways–
even through the rain
in foreign feelings and places.
You’ll find God’s love
in many mangers.
Rejoice that the message
is bigger than a single star
or the memory
of unfaltering faith.”
Little Drummer Boy/ Love Gift (Choir with Drum)
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
The gift that is wrapped in grace
has power to transform the soul.
Let your heart reach out and manger there
the gift that never grows old.
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
May the child in you be swaddled in love
though your stable is dark and cold.
May the longing there that comes from above
find the place where heaven unfolds
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
The Way in a Manger
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. . .’ ” John 14:6a
Christ is born
into a warring world
darkened by unbelief.
Inns are filled
with weary folk
longing for rest and sleep.
The God Child’s birth
is manger made
un-king-like beyond belief.
But seeking hearts
adjust to surprise
when earth and heaven meet.
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
Me and my drum.
Mennofolk Music 