Text and music from Cecil J. Sharp, English folk carols (Novello, 1911), no. 1.
This arrangement and that of The twelve apostles were made to replace a large-scale version of 'The bitter withy' for tenor, boys' choir and piano, but the latter was beyond the ability of the London Boy Singers for whom it was intended. 'The bitter withy' had been planned as Canticle IV, but remained unfinished.