When was the Christmas carol “Tomorrow will be my dancing day” written and composed?
Although thought to find its roots in the world of medieval mysteries, the Cornish Carol ‘Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day’ was first published in 1833, when it appeared in William Sandys volume Ancient and Modern Christmas Carols.
Describing the life of Christ in the form of a dance, the text was set to music by composers from Gustav Holst at Igor Stravinsky; British composer John Gardner’s lively arrangement for choir, organ and optional percussion, written in the 1960s, is the version that has found itself repeatedly voted for by our choir experts. “Gardner combines a catchy melody with simple but ingenious rhythmic patterns to produce a compelling setting of this traditional English text,” enthuses Stephen Darlington, choir director at Christ Church, Oxford. You can’t help but smile when you hear it.
Did you know that “Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day” inspired the popular anthem “Lord of the Dance”? We named “Lord of the Dance” one of the best school anthems of all time.
We named ‘Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day’ one of the best Christmas carols of all time
What are the lyrics to “Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day”?
tomorrow will be my dance day;
I would like my true love to make such a chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;
Chorus (sung after each verse)
Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
That’s what I did for my true love.
So I was born of a pure virgin,
From her I took a carnal substance
So was I bound to the nature of man
To call my true love to my dance.
In a lying and wrapped manger I was
So poor, it was my chance
Between an ox and a poor stupid donkey
To call my true love to my dance.
Then afterwards I was baptized;
The Holy Spirit looked down on me,
My Father’s voice heard me from above,
To call my true love to my dance.
In the desert I was led,
Where I fasted without substance;
The Devil ordered me to make stones my bread,
To make me break the dance of my true love.
The Jews on me, they made great suit,
And with me makes great variance,
Because they preferred darkness to light,
To call my true love to my dance.
For thirty denarii Judas sold me,
His desire to move forward:
Notice that I kiss, the same thing holds!
The same goes for leading the dance.
Before Pilate the Jews brought me,
Where Barabbas had deliverance;
They flogged me and brought me to nothing,
Deemed me dead to lead the dance.
So I hung on the cross,
Where a spear my heart peeked;
Out of it came water and blood,
To call my true love to my dance.
Then to hell I took my way
For the deliverance of my true love,
And rose again on the third day,
Until my true love and dance.
Then I ascended to heaven,
Where now I dwell in safe substance
At the right hand of God, this man
Can come to the general dance.
Find more lyrics to your favorite Christmas carols
