I Saw Three Ships - Folklorist

“I Saw Three Ships”

Description

(While sitting on a sunny bank,) the singer sees three ships arrive on Christmas. In the ship are (pretty girls) or Mary, (Joseph), and/or (Jesus). (They/all) (sing/whistle/rejoice) as they sail on to Bethlehem

Supplemental text

I Saw Three Ships
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

Religious version from the Josiah H. Combs collection. From
Combs/Wilgus, Folk-Songs of the Southern United States, Combs
#315, pp. 141-142. Contributed by A. E. Harris of Little
Branch, West Virginia.

I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas day in the morning.

And what was in those ships all three? etc.

Our Savior, Christ, and His Lady.

Pray, whither sailed those ships all three?

O, they sailed into Bethlehem.

And all the bells on earth did ring.

And all the angels in heaven did sing.

Then let us all rejoice again.

          *** B ***

Three Little Ships

Secular version, from Alice B. Gomme, The Traditional Games of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, Volume II, p. 280, text II. From London.

Three little ships come sailing by,
  Sailing by, sailing by,
Three little ships come sailing by,
  New Year's Day in the morning.

Who do you think was in the ships,
  In the ships, in the ships,
Who do you think was in the ships,
  New Year's Day in the morning.

Three pretty girls were in the ships,
  In the ships, in the ships,
Three pretty girls were in the ships,
  New Year's Day in the morning.

One could whistle and one could sing,
  One could play the violin,
One could whistle and one could sing,
  New Year's Day in the morning.

Notes

It probably need not be pointed out that there is no Biblical basis for this story, and that Bethlehem is nowhere near the ocean nor any body of water large enough for any kind of ship.

This makes it worthwhile to ask, Which version is older? The "Christmas" version is the one now widely sung, and the Combs version (the only one I think that's traditional in America) is a religious text -- but two of Gomme's three versions are secular. On the other hand, several texts refer to "Our Savior Christ and His Lady." This sounds very Catholic -- and hence probably old -- to me.

Ian Bradley, in the _Penguin Book of Carols_, raises the question of why three ships are needed to bring two passengers -- in his version, Jesus and Mary. This is logical, but the likely answer is that the original included Joseph as well, but he was later written out or accidentally dropped. Bradley, though, has an explanation: That three ships sailed in because they were bearing the relics of the three Magi, or perhaps the Magi themselves. Of course, the Bible nowhere says that there were three Magi.

Personally, I'd guess that three is simply an auspicious number. Sure, one ship could carry Jesus and his mother, but three ships gives him an escort -- with the other two ships representing the other two persons of the trinity. - RBW

Also see Calennig, "Sandy Banks" (on Callenig, "A Gower Garland," Wild Goose WGS 299 CD (2000)). The notes have it noted in Wales by Rev J.D. Davies in 1877. Just two ships here. - BS

Broadsides

Bodleian, Douce adds. 137(22), "The Sunny Bank," T. Bloomer (Birmingham), 1821-1827; also Harding B 7(38), Harding B 7(30), Harding B 7(37), Harding B 7(35), "As I Sat on a Sunny Bank" ("As I sat on a sunny bank")[some have no title]; Harding B 7(16), "The Sunny Bank"

References