Ding Dong! Merrily on high
In heav'n the bells are ringing
Ding, dong! Verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis
E'en so here below, below
Let steeple bells be swinging
And i-o, i-o, i-o
By priest and people be singing
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis
Pray ye dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers
May ye beautifully rime
Your eventime song, ye singers
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis
About This Song
The melody of Ding Dong! Merrily on High was first composed as a secular dance tune known under the title "Branle de l'Official", in Orchésographie written by the French cleric, composer, and writer Jehan Tabourot (1519–1593) sometime in the mid-1500s.
It wasn't until George Ratcliffe Woodward, an English writer, and church bell ringing enthusiast wrote the lyrics for Ding Dong! Merrily on High in the early 1900s. This version of the song was first published in 1924 in his The Cambridge Carol-Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, And Other Seasons. Woodward took an interest in church bell ringing, which no doubt aided him in writing it. The lyrics are adapted from a 16th-century French tune called "Les Bouffons" (or "The Buffoons"). The original French lyrics were actually quite bawdy, but Woodward adapted them to be more family-friendly.
