The Rocking Carol

The carol was first published in an anthology in 1920 in Czechoslovakia, where it was described as a traditional Czech carol.^[1] It was loosely translated into English by Percy Dearmer,^[1] as part of his effort of resurrecting hymns that had fallen into disuse and introducing European hymns into the Church of England.^{[1][self-published source]} The carol is sung in the form of a lullaby to Jesus while rocking the manger as if it were a more modern cradle,^[5] as noted by the repetitive chorus of "We will rock you".^[6][7] It was first published in The Oxford Book of Carols, which Dearmer had edited alongside Martin Shaw and Ralph Vaughan Williams, in 1928.^[1]

After initial publication, the carol gradually decreased in popularity until the 1960s when the English actress Julie Andrews performed a commercially released version of it.^[8] Following this, it was published in Carols for Choirs by Reginald Jacques and David Willcocks.^[9]

"The Rocking Carol" consists of two verses of eight lines each.^[10] It is performed with a 10.7.8.8.7.7 metre.^[2] The hymn continues to be published within Church of England and Anglican hymnals.^[7] The hymn has been described as the quintessential lullaby carol and compared with similarly worded Christmas carols, "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger"; hymnologists opine that the lyrics and melody both strongly suggest the rocking of a cradle.^[5]

The original Czech lyrics are:

The English words are a poetic translation.

Source^[3]

After publication, the final line of the carol met with dissatisfaction, with a number of hymnal editors altering it from "Darling, darling little man" to "Son of God and Son of Man".^[1] Barry Cooper has argued that it has only minor biblical references and is written without theological content and "painting a wholly imaginary scene".^[12]