Down In Yon Forest
Down in yon forest there stands a hall;
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring;
It’s covered all over with purple and pall;
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.
In that hall there stands a bed:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring:
It’s covered all over with scarlet so red:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.
At the bed-side there lies a stone:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring;
Which the sweet Virgin Mary knelt upon:
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.
Under that bed there runs a flood:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring;
The one half runs water, the other runs blood;
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.
At the bed’s foot there grows a thorn:
The bells of Paradise I heard them ring;
Which ever blows blossom since he was born;
And I love my Lord Jesus above anything.
This carol was taken and transcribed by Ralph Vaughn Williams in 1908 from James Hall as
Corpus Cristi Carol. It has become part of the Village Carols repertoire at Castleton. It was part
of the folk repertoire for years before it became popular again as a Village Carol. The Carolers
from Castleton have a soloist sing the verses and the chorus (above in italics) is sung by the