More food for thought: apparently, the singer is not wishing the “Merry gentlemen” to be “rested” by “God”, but for “God” to “rest you merry” to the “gentlemen” in general, if that makes sense. Except that that’s not true either, apparently, because other sources of mine mention that it used to be synonymous with “efface” or “outshine”, but that’s not nearly as nice a mental image While today “deface” means mar or damage, apparently an archaic meaning was “obliterate” Christmas literally destroys all other holidays, according to this song. ![]() “doth” takes a third person subject, “It”, rather than a plural “all”, meaning “All others” must be the object of the sentence, meaning Christmas “defaces” all other holidays. To my ear, it sounds like celebrating any other holiday “defaces” Christmas, doesn’t it? Of course, its not true. This verse, in particular, always stands out to me: For once, they’re not too bad, doing an almost acapella version, all female: And he’s about as traditional as you can get these days. Nat King Cole proves that the minor mode doesn’t have to be dark and soulful it can be joyous, but still holds depth and an intriguing sound to it. Though I do like that version it’s got a little groove in it I dig. That’s the Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan, hardly a traditional interpretation. ![]() Not what you’d expect from a Christmas carol, that’s for sure! But it makes sense picture the first noel, the long, cold winter night, the uncertainty of the stable birth in a time when many women died in childbirth, the weight of sin uncleansed from the world… ![]() It’s done in the minor mode, according to Wiki, which according to my much more musical partner Chaos says makes people uneasy and sounds a little depressing. This song, a last-minute substitution since I had trouble finding the song I had planned for today, was published in 1833 (so it would actually be known to my steampunk character! Fancy that).
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