UK Christmas carols: Where do they come from?

“The plays are first referred to in 1392, with the earliest-known manuscript dating from 1534,” she said.

Like many traditional carols, the words have a darker subtext.

“The so-called ‘Coventry Carol’ comes near the very end of the play, at a highly dramatic moment when the women rock their babes to sleep for fear Herod’s soldier will hear them crying and slaughter them,” she said.

In Coventry, the carol is sung annually at the cathedral.

“For me, the really special thing about the Coventry Carol is the way it was used in 1940,” said David Stone, the canon precentor.

“The cathedral was bombed on 14 November, and on Christmas Day that year the then provost broadcast live on the BBC to the world. His very famous message was that he was trying to forgive those who had done this terrible thing.

“After that, the choir sang the Coventry Carol in the ruins of the old cathedral.”

He said the “shadowy” subject matter of the carol made it a particularly appropriate one for Coventry.

“The theme of redemption following suffering is part of the Coventry story,” he said. And this is part, he added, of what makes the carol so special.

“It connects with people’s lives as they really are,” he said. “Even though some of the words are a bit peculiar, they strike a chord with people today and express what Christmas is for us, both its bright, shining side and its shadowy side.”