This Christmas selection for Music of the Week is a timeless English carol going back to the 17th century. It tells of three naval vessels carrying Jesus, Mary, and Joseph sailing from the Holy Land and arriving on the English shores—symbolic for the shores of all the Earth’s continents that received the message of the birth of Christ.

There are countless traditional versions of this song. It is presented here by American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole, who recorded it for his 1960 album The Magic of Christmas. Cole, despite dropping out from school at age 15, became one of the most popular and famous singers of the 1950s and 1960s. The King Cole Trio also initiated a boom of trio and quintet ensembles that became audience favorites. Cole was the first African-American to host a radio show.

Related:

More about the history and tradition of “I saw three ships”

Nat King Cole in the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame

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