No recent published versions have been found, but there are numerous on-line references to the first verse and chorus quoted below.
It was most-likely included in "New Hymns for Young and Old: Words by SND set to original tunes by Lloyd Hartley", published by Cary and Co, London in 1948, and featuring music by English, 1930s radio broadcaster, pianist, composer and piano teacher Lloyd Hartley (1882-1953).
If you have any more information about the song, and any other tunes it has been sung to, please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of the page.
Downloads
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Examples
Choir with organ, words on-screen
Singer self-accompanied on piano
Instrumental - midi-organ, words on-screen
Lyrics
May is the month of Mary,Month we all love so well;
Mary is God's own Mother,
Gladly her praise we tell.
Chorus:
Mary is beautiful, Mary is fair!
Gladly we praise her
in song and in prayer.
Blue is the sky in Maytime,
Bright is the sun above,
Bluebells all nod in chorus
Joining our song of love.
Mary is Queen of Heaven,
Crowned by her own dear Son,
Angels and saints all love her,
Mary loves everyone.
Mary, our Queen we crown you,
Queen of our Homes to-day,
Ever we love to hail you
Beautiful Queen of May.
Oh Mary, dear Mother, we love you,
And you love all children we know,
For Jesus Himself gave us to you
On Calvary, long years ago.
Mother dear, we love you,
Your face we long to see,
Smiling down from Heaven,
A "Welcome Home" to me.
Oh Mary, dear Mother we trust you,
And ask for your help day by day,
You guarded your dear little Jesus,
So guard all your children, we pray.
Oh Mary, dear Mother we hail you
Queen Mother in Heaven above,
With hearts all rejoicing we sing you
Our song and our greeting of love.
See more ...
- Queen of the May - an extremely popular May-crowning hymn,
- Hymns about Mary
Hi there, I recently purchased some books about the Lives of the Saints from a charity shop and inside one of the books was an old yellow piece of paper with this hymn typed on! Unfortunately there is no information about its title or source but there are the full lyrics. Good luck with your investigations, I would like to know the tune too!
ReplyDeleteMay is the month of Mary,
Month we all love so well;
Mary is God's own Mother,
Gladly her praise we tell.
Chorus:
Mary is beautiful, Mary is fair!
Gladly we praise her
in song and in prayer.
Blue is the sky in Maytime,
Bright is the sun above,
Bluebells all nod in chorus
Joining our song of love.
Mary is Queen of Heaven,
Crowned by her own dear Son,
Angels and saints all love her,
Mary loves everyone.
Mary, our Queen we crown you,
Queen of our Homes to-day,
Ever we love to hail you
Beautiful Queen of May.
Oh Mary, dear Mother, we love you,
And you love all children we know,
For Jesus Himself gave us to you
On Calvary, long years ago.
Mother dear, we love you,
Your face we long to see,
Smiling down from Heaven,
A "Welcome Home" to me.
Oh Mary, dear Mother we trust you,
And ask for your help day by day,
You guarded your dear little Jesus,
So guard all your children, we pray.
Oh Mary, dear Mother we hail you
Queen Mother in Heaven above,
With hearts all rejoicing we sing you
Our song and our greeting of love.
That's a great find, thank you EmmaAnne. I've been approached in person about this song by someone (now in their late 50s I think - I didn't like to ask!) who remembered singing it in primary school. But lots of Googling didn't give me anything more than the first verse an chorus. I'll add these extra verses to the main page now, and hopefully they might help me to find the tune too.
DeleteMary
Dear EmmaAnne,
DeleteThank you so much for taking the trouble to post this. I have been searching for years for this song/hymn to Our Lady. Our primary school sang it frequently throughout May, perhaps even daily throughout the month. I have sang it with my own children but have only known the first verse. Throughout the years I have tried to find the whole hym. I feel so blessed now to have all the verses. I will teach my children the rest of the verses. Some of my children are young adults but I am excited to share this beautiful May tradition of this little simple hymn from my own childhood. I attended St. Claires school, Liverpool, England. I am aged 54 and I love this hymn. Thank you again EmmaAnne, I cant believe I have found these precious verses at last, God bless you, Moira Petris (nee Collins)
I know the tune but can't write music 😒
DeleteI remember the tune. We sang it every May standing in our lines
ReplyDeleteI know the tune. Thanks for the words. I'll look to find an online music maker and post the tune here.
ReplyDeleteI'm 49 and this is the most memorable hymn of all from when I was a primary school child - we would have little processions to the convent and sing it to the nuns. I loved it. This was in the archdiocese of Liverpool.
Did you find the tune?
DeleteWe sang this wonderful hymn in childhood, at St Vincent de Paul primary Westminster. I had honestly thought the nuns must have made it up as been searching for years for the lyrics. We only sang the 1st 2verses so relishing reading the rest.
ReplyDeleteHi, I suspect that the song likely was written by some nuns somewhere - never published in any hymn book, but taught in their schools. It's very popular, and I've had many people looking for it, both here on the website and in person in Ireland too.
DeleteBeen searching all over the net for this song too. Today the 1st day of May, I remember it again like I do every month of May. We sang it in primary,Queen of the rosary school in Nigeria, the Rev sisters taught us. I remember the tune they taught us wth, but can't find it on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI would love to use this hymn in our “Daily Daily, Sing to Mary” feature on me school website for for the month of May. I need to contact “Gareth Clarke 3” who posted the piano clip on Soundcloud as I would love to use it as a backing track for a singalongs video. Does anyone know Gareth? Or are you on this thread Gareth?!
ReplyDeleteGareth's soundtrack is available for purchase (for less than €2) here: https://www.youraccompanist.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=0&keyword=Hartley%20Lloyd
DeleteI don't know what the terms and conditions are, whether thye allow you to use the track on websites. But they may.
Hi there..we have been singing this in the Ursuline primary school in Thurles, Ireland for as long as I can remember! So lovely to find more verses as we only sang 2 verses and the chorus! CKeane
DeleteI attended Seafield Convent Grammar School in Liverpool in the 1960's. If it was a nice day in May the nuns would let our class sit among the bluebells in front of Mary's grotto. We sang May is the month of Mary before each lesson. Just the first 2 verses and the chorus followed by the Hail Mary prayer. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much for finding the words and music for this beautiful hymn. We sang it every year at our school May processions in the grounds of Presentation convent, Terenure, Dublin. (1970's-1980's) I have been trying to teach it to my children, but I only remembered the first part. Sadly the convent was sold and demolished in 2000 to build ugly apartments
ReplyDeleteThis used to be sung at Marymount Convent School on the Wirral during the years I was there (1968-73).
ReplyDeleteSt Agnes Primary School in Dublin 12 (Sisters of Charity) We always sang this Hymn at May processions and we always had a May ALter in each class room where we brough in flowers from our gardens (Wallflowers,Lilac Tree flowers) wrapped in brown or newspaper. Great memories
ReplyDeleteHiii i live in Ireland i was taught this song at Primary school i wouldnt mind sending you off a vouce recording of me singing the tune for you if youd like
ReplyDeleteThat would be great, get in touch by emailing editor@godsongs.net
DeleteI've no idea why this came into my head, but I'm glad I searched for and found it. I remember singing it as part of the 5th class choir in Ireland for the 6th class confirmation. Must've been 1979 or 80. Now an adult atheist, I enjoyed singing along with it just and remembered the words and tune to a tee.
ReplyDeleteRememner it from primary school. 1960.i dont rember the air to it. Would love to know. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to the website visitor who sent me a copy of the sheet music from an unidentified book: now that 70 years have passed since the composer's death, I am at last able to share it.
ReplyDeleteThe print quality isn't great, so I have not been able to load the piano-score here. But it is the basis for the leadsheet which is now given above.