Appalachian History

Jesus, Jesus, rest your head. You have got a manger bed. All the evil folk on earth, Sleep in feathers at their birth. (But) Jesus, Jesus, rest your head. You have got a manger bed. Have you heard about our Jesus? Have you heard about his fate? How his mother came to the stable, On [...]

John Jacob Niles composed the Appalachian influenced Christmas carols The Carol of the Birds, The Flower of Jesse, What Songs were Sung, Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head, and Sweet Little Boy Jesus. I Wonder As I Wander, one of his most popular carols, illustrates the working methods of this inveterate collector of homegrown musicality: “I [...]