The Rocking Carol facts for kids
"The Rocking Carol", also known as "Little Jesus, Sweetly Sleep" or simply "Rocking", is a well-loved English Christmas carol. It was written by Percy Dearmer and first published in 1928. This carol is sung like a lullaby, a gentle song to help someone sleep, and it tells the story of the birth of baby Jesus.
Quick facts for kids The Rocking Carol |
|
|---|---|
| by Percy Dearmer | |
| Genre | Christmas carol |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Traditional Czech carol |
| Published | 1928 |
Contents
How the Carol Began
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The story of "The Rocking Carol" began in Czechoslovakia. It first appeared in a collection of songs in 1920. At that time, it was known as a traditional Czech carol.
Later, a man named Percy Dearmer translated it into English. He wanted to bring old, forgotten hymns back to life. He also wanted to introduce European hymns to the Church of England.
A Lullaby for Jesus
The carol is sung like a lullaby. It imagines rocking the manger where baby Jesus slept. The repeated line "We will rock you" helps to create this feeling.
The carol was officially published in 1928. It was part of a famous book called The Oxford Book of Carols. Percy Dearmer helped to create this book with Martin Shaw and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Growing in Popularity
After it was first published, the carol became less popular for a while. But in the 1960s, something special happened. The famous English actress and singer Julie Andrews performed a version of it.
Her performance helped the carol become popular again. After that, it was included in another well-known book of carols. This book was called Carols for Choirs and was put together by David Willcocks and John Rutter.
What the Carol is About
"The Rocking Carol" has two parts, called verses. Each verse has eight lines. It is sung with a gentle, rocking rhythm.
Many people think this carol is the perfect lullaby for Christmas. It is often compared to other lullaby carols like "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger". Experts who study hymns say that both the words and the music make you feel like a cradle is being rocked.
Changes to the Words
When the carol was first published, some people did not like the last line. It originally said, "Darling, darling little man." Because of this, many hymn book editors changed it. They made the line say, "Son of God and Son of Man" instead.
Some people have also said that the carol does not have many direct references to the Bible. They feel it was written more as a sweet song than a deep religious one.
