What key is "Mary's Boy Child" in?

"Mary's Boy Child" by Jester Hairston is in the key of Eb with a tempo of 110 BPM. Difficulty: medium.

Is "Mary's Boy Child" easy to play on piano?

This arrangement is rated medium. It requires comfort with chord shapes and basic hand independence. Expect 1-2 weeks of regular practice for a confident performance.

Can I play "Mary's Boy Child" without reading sheet music?

Yes. Our player offers a falling-notes mode (Synthesia-style) and a beginner mode with color-coded keys — both let you play along without reading traditional notation.

What chords are used in "Mary's Boy Child"?

This arrangement of "Mary's Boy Child" uses 8 chords: Am7, Bb, Bbsus4, Cm, Eb, F, F7, Gm.

How long does it take to learn "Mary's Boy Child" on piano?

2–4 weeks of consistent practice (20–30 min/day) for an intermediate player. Drill the tricky passages in isolation first.

Lyrics

Long (Bb)time a go in (Eb)Beth le hem, so the Ho ly Bi ble say,

Ma ry’s Boy Child, (Eb)Je sus Christ was (Bb)born on (F7)Christ mas (Bb)Day.

(Bb)Hark, now (Eb)hear the (F7)an gels (Bb)sing, a (Gm)new King (Cm)born to (F)day,

(Am7)and (Bb)man will live for (Eb)ev er more, be (Bb)cause of (F7)Christ mas (Bb)Day.

Trum pets (Eb)sound and (F7)an gels (Bb)sing, (Gm)lis ten to (Cm)what they (F)say,

(Am7)that (Bb)man will live for (Eb)ev er more, be (Bb)cause of (F7)Christ mas (Bb)Day.

While shep herds watched their (Eb)flocks by night, them see a (F)bright new shin ing (Bb)star,

them hear a choir (Eb)sing, the mu sic (Bb)seemed to (F7)come from a (Bb)far.

Now Jo seph and his (Eb)wife, Ma ry, come to (F)Beth le hem that (Bb)night,

them find no place to (Eb)born she Child, not a (Bb)sin gle (F7)room was in (Bb)sight.