"The Cherry Tree Carol"

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       "The Cherry-Tree Carol" is a ballad with the rare distinction of being both a Christmas carol and one of the Child Ballads (no. 54). The song itself is very old, reportedly sung in some form at the Feast of Corpus Christi in the early 15th century. The versions eventually collected by Francis James Child are thought to be a combination of up to three separate carols that merged through the centuries.

       The ballad, "The Cherry Tree Carol," relates an apocryphal story of the Virgin Mary, presumably while traveling to Bethlehem with Joseph for the census. In the most popular version, the two stop in a cherry orchard, and Mary asks her husband to pick cherries for her, citing her child. Joseph spitefully tells Mary to let the child's father pick her cherries.        At this point in most versions, the infant Jesus, from the womb, speaks to the tree and commands it to lower a branch down to Mary, which it does. Joseph, witnessing this miracle, immediately repents his harsh words. The more contemporary versions sometimes end here, while others often include an angel appearing to Joseph and telling him of the circumstances of Jesus's birth. Other versions then jump ahead several years, where the next verse picks up with Jesus on his mother's lap, telling her of his eventual death and resurrection. Read more...

In Defense of Joseph . . .  Angels did appear to Joseph to explain to him what was transpiring in his life and he shared this with Mary and others. So in his defense I have referenced the scripture. However, the carol is still quite lovely, however inaccurate it may be. (smile) The implications here are that Joseph actually had frequent directions from angels.

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." Matthew 1:20

"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." Matthew 2:13 

       And also the name of Joseph carries big news in scripture; any man selected by God and given the name is in for an unusual life story according to the Bible. The name literally means "to add to or give increase." 

"Judy Collins sings this traditional nativity ballad, thought to date back to the 15th century. The story tells of the fetus Jesus performing a miracle by lowering the bow of a cherry tree so that Mary can reach and pick the fruit. This clip comes from a 1996 performance at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, available on the 1997 DVD release titled "Judy Collins - Christmas at the Biltmore Estate." Look for more clips from the concert here on YouTube's Judy Collins Channel."