Christmas Song: The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy

I have found two different stories for this hymn.

The first states it is believed “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” was written Jamaican singer-songwriter Oswald Dunbar sometime in the early 1960s. Legend states he adapted the lyrics from an earlier Jamaican folk song “Livvy’s Song” to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The text follows the story as found in Luke 2 with the birth, the angels singing, the shepherds arrival, and the wise men saw him.

The song became popular in the Caribbean and later Pete Seeger adapted it as an American folk-song.

However, hymnary.org provides a little different slant. The song is credited as a West Indian song that was transcribed from the singing of 92-year-old native James Bryce in 1942.

The song has been recorded by many artists over the years.