I have known this melody for years–a few bars of it introduce A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott–without knowing the lyrics, or even knowing it’s a traditional English Christmas carol, first published in the 17th century. Imagine my delight when I stumbled over it today on youtube.
So here it is, The Sussex Carol, also known as On Christmas Night, performed by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band in true 17th century style. I hope you love it as much as I do.