The Sans Day Carol chords by The Traditional

Chords with lyrics

G+G       D MajorD    G+G    C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk,
  G+G  D MajorD  G+G        C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk:
  G+G  C majorC  G+G         C majorC G+G
And Mary bore Jesus our Saviour to be,
    D MajorD         G+G       A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
D MajorD   G+G
Holly, holly,
    D MajorD         G+G       A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.


G+G       D MajorD    G+G    C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,
  G+G  D MajorD  G+G     C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
And Mary bore Jesus, who died on the cross:
  G+G  C majorC  G+G         C majorC G+G
And Mary bore Jesus our Saviour to be,
  D MajorD           G+G       A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
D MajorD    G+G
Holly, holly,
    D MajorD         G+G      A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.

G+G       D MajorD    G+G    C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal,
  G+G  D MajorD  G+G     C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
And Mary bore Jesus, who died for us all:
  G+G  C majorC  G+G         C majorC G+G
And Mary bore Jesus our Saviour to be,
  D MajorD           G+G       A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
D MajorD    G+G
Holly, holly,
    D MajorD         G+G      A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.


G+G       D MajorD    G+G     C majorC    D MajorD  G+G
Now the holly bears a berry, as blood it is red,
   G+G  D MajorD   G+G      C majorC     D MajorD  G+G
Then trust we our Saviour, who rose from the dead:
  G+G  C majorC  G+G         C majorC G+G
And Mary bore Jesus our Saviour to be,
  D MajorD           G+G       A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
D MajorD    G+G
Holly, holly,
    D MajorD         G+G      A minorAm   D MajorD G+G
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.


This carol was so named because the melody and the first 3 verses were first transcribed in the 19th century
from the singing of a villager in St. Day (also Sans Day, or St. They - named after a Breton saint venerated
in Cornwall) in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall. A augmentedA 4 stanza version in Cornish was subsequently published
('Ma gron war'n gelinen').Pastor Peter Prange also pointed out that the village of St. Day in Cornwall is