The Argyle Sweater by Scott Hilburn for December 21, 2009

Thinginthebasement and All: The Kingston Trio has a song on their (oldie but goodie) Christmas album in which Jesus asks his mother if he could go outside and play ball. She tells him there are “three jolly children” playing on a hill, “but let me hear no complaint of You when You come home again.” “But the children said, ‘We are royal sons, and we will not play at ball, for you are but a poor maid’s child born in an oxen stall.’… so he built them a bridge of the beams of the sun, and over the pools they played…” The children’s mothers told Mary to call Jesus home, afraid their children would drown.

I’m not sure where that story came from, but it doesn’t seem too odd to put on an album celebrating His birth the way they did it. There is another song that has some obscure biblical context, as well. “Children Go where I Send Thee.” The lyrics I found under their name weren’t as they are on the album I mentioned ( The Last Month of the Year ), but some Peter, Paul, and Mary lyrics were closer.