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Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day

[ Roud 21931 ; Ballad Index OBC071 ; trad.]

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day is a 19th century English carol.

The Valley Folk sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 1968 on their Topic album All Bells in Paradise.

In 1969, The Young Tradition split up while recording their album of Christmas songs with Shirley and Dolly Collins, The Holly Bears the Crown; and it was only in 1995 that the album was finally released. But Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day was released before that in 1971, on the Argo compilation album The World of Folk.

Graham and Eileen Pratt with Ron Taylor and Sue Burgess (Regal Slip) sang Dancing Day on their 1977 album Clear Air of the Day. They noted:

Another song from the Oxford Book of Carols.

Tony and Jenny Reavill sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 1980 on their Hill & Dale album Revelation.

John Roberts, Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig and Steve Woodruff sang My Dancing Day in 1980 on their album To Welcome In the Spring.

The Albion Band sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 1985 on their album A Christmas Present from The Albion Band.

Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 1991 on their Park CD Carols and Capers. A live recording from their December 1997 Christmas Tour was released a year later on their CD Carols at Christmas.

Paul Sartin sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 2009 on Belshazzar’s Feast’s WildGoose album Frost Bites. He noted:

Collected in Cornwall by William Sandys im 1833, although apparently it can be found on broadsides and is thought to date back several centuries earlier. Published in Traces of Ancient Mystery (Richard McGrady, 1993), and in the Oxford Book of Carols.

The New Scorpion Band sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 2011 on their CD Nowell Sing We. They noted:

This carol may derive from the Cornish mystery plays, and so could be of medieval origin, although the melody suggests a later date. Words and music are from Sandys, Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern, 1833.

GreenMatthews sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day on their 2012 CD A Medieval Christmas.

Josienne Clarke sang Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day in 2013 on her and Ben Walker’s CD Midwinter.

Lyrics

Regal Slip sing Dancing Day

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;
I would my true love did so chance,
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance.

Chorus (after each verse):
Sing: O my love, o my love, my love, my love;
This have I done for my true love.

Then was I born of a virgin pure;
Of her I took fleshly substance.
Thus was I knit to man’s nature
To call my true love to my dance.

For thirty pence Judas me sold,
His covetousness to advance.
Mark whom I kiss, the same do hold;
The same is he shall lead the dance.

Then on the cross hanged I was,
Where a spear to my heart did glance.
There issued forth both water and blood
To call my true love to my dance.

Then down to hell I made my way,
For my true love’s deliverance;
And rose again on the third day
Up to my true love and the dance.

Maddy Prior sings Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
And call my true love to my dance.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Sing O my love, o my love, my love, my love
This have I done for my true love.

Then was I born of virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance.
Thus was I knit to man’s nature,
To call my true love to my dance.

In manger laid and wrapped I was,
So very poor this was my chance,
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass,
To call my true love to my dance.

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
And call my true love to my dance.