Christmas Carols

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;

The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay;

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,

But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes:

I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky

And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus: I ask thee to stay

Close by me for ever and love me, I pray;

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

Christmas is coming (Advent song)

Christmas is coming

The Church is glad to sing

And let the advent candles

Brightly burn in a ring

The first is for God’s promise

to put the wrong things right,

and bring to earth’s darkness

the hope of love and light.

Christmas is coming

The Church is glad to sing

And let the advent candles

Brightly burn in a ring

The second for the prophets,

who said that Christ would come

with good news for many

and angry words for some.

Christmas is coming

The Church is glad to sing

And let the advent candles

Brightly burn in a ring

The third is for the Baptist,

Who cried, ‘Prepare the way.

Be ready for Jesus,

both this and every day.’

Christmas is coming

The Church is glad to sing

And let the advent candles

Brightly burn in a ring

The fourth is for the Virgin,

who mothered God’s own son

and sang how God’s justice

was meant for everyone.

Christmas is coming

The Church is glad to sing

And let the advent candles

Brightly burn in a ring

At last we light the candle

kept new for Christmas day.

This shines bright for Jesus,

new-born, and here to stay.

Christ is among us.

The candles in a ring

Remind us that our saviour

Will light up everything

Hark the herald angels sing

Hark! The herald angels sing:

`Glory to the new-born King!

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!’

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies,

With the angelic host proclaim,

`Christ is born in Bethlehem.’

Hark! the herald angels sing:

`Glory to the new-born King!’

Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

Late in time behold Him come,

Offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!

Hail the incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Immanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing:

Glory to the new-born King.’

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail, the Sun of righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Risen with healing in His wings,

Mild, He lays His glory by;

Born that men no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth;

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing:

`Glory to the new-born King.’

In the bleak midwinter

In the bleak midwinter,

Frosty wind made moan;

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone.

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow;

In the bleak midwinter,

Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him,

Nor earth sustain,

Heaven and earth shall flee away

When He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter

A stable-place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty,

Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels

May have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim

Thronged the air.

But His mother only,

In her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the Belovèd

With a kiss.

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring a lamb.

If I were a wise man,

I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him-

Give my heart.

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord has come;

Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns;

Your sweetest songs employ.

While fields and streams and hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy!

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

The wonders of His love,

The wonders of His love,

The wonders, the wonders of His love.

Little Donkey

Little donkey, little donkey,

on the dusty road,

got to keep on plodding onwards

with your precious load.

Been a long time little donkey

Through the winter’s night.

Don’t give up now little donkey,

Bethlehem’s in sight.

Ring out those bells tonight,

Bethlehem, Bethlehem;

follow that star tonight,

Bethlehem, Bethlehem

Little donkey, little donkey,

had a heavy day

little donkey carry Mary

safely on her way

Little donkey carry Mary

safely on her way.

O Come all ye faithful

O come all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him

Born the King of Angels:

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

Christ the Lord!

God of God

Light of Light,

Lo! He abhors not the Virgin’s womb;

Very God, begotten not created:

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

Christ the Lord!

See how the shepherds,

Summoned to his cradle,

Leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;

We too will thither,

Bend our joyful footsteps.

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

Christ the Lord!

Sing choirs of angels

Sing in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above;

Glory to God in the highest.

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

Christ the Lord!

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,

Born this happy morning,

Jesus, to thee be glory given!

Word of the Father,

Now in flesh appearing:

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore him

Christ the Lord!

O Little town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,

how still we see you lie!

Above your deep and dreamless sleep

the silent stars go by.

Yet in your dark streets shining

the everlasting light;

the hopes and fears of all the years

are met in you tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary;

and, gathered all above,

while mortals sleep, the angels keep

their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars, together

proclaim the holy birth,

and praises sing to God the king,

and peace to men on earth;

How silently, how silently,

the wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming;

but in this world of sin,

where meek souls will receive him, still

the dear Christ enters in.

O holy child of Bethlehem,

descend to us we pray;

cast out our sin, and enter in,

be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

the great glad tidings tell:

O come to us, abide with us,

our Lord Emmanuel.

Once in royal David’s city

Once, in royal David’s city,

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her baby

In a manger for His bed.

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ, her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall:

With the poor and meek and lowly

Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And our eyes at last shall see Him

Through His own redeeming love;

For that child, so dear and gentle,

Is our Lord in heaven above;

And He leads His children on

To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see Him, but in heaven,

Set at God’s right hand on high;

there His children gather round,

bright like stars, with glory crowned.

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright,

round yon virgin mother and child,

holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing alleluia

Christ the saviour is born

Christ the saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night!

Son of God, love’s pure light

radiance beams from thy holy face,

with the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

We three kings of Orient are

We three kings of Orient are,

Bearing gifts we travel afar,

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star;

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to the perfect light.

Born a king on Bethlehem plain,

gold I bring to crown Him again

King for ever, ceasing never,

Over us all to reign

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to the perfect light.

Frankincense for Jesus have I,

God on earth yet Priest on high;

Prayer and praising all men raising;

Worship is earth’s reply

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to the perfect light.

Myrrh is mine: its bitter perfume

tells of His death and Calvary’s gloom;

sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,

sealed in a stone-cold tomb.

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to the perfect light.

Glorious now, behold Him arise

King, and God, and sacrifice!

Heaven sings out Alleluia’,

‘Amen’ the earth replies.

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to the perfect light

While shepherd watched their flocks

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,

All seated on the ground,

The angel of the Lord came down

And glory shone around.

`Fear not’ said he, for mighty dread

Had seized their troubled mind;

`Glad tidings of great joy I bring

To you and all mankind.

`To you in David’s town this day

Is born of David’s line

A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,

And this shall be the sign.

`The heavenly babe you there shall find

To human view displayed,

All meanly wrapped in swaddling

bands,

And in a manger laid.’

Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith

Appeared a shining throng

Of angels, praising God, who thus

Addressed their joyful song:

`All glory be to God on high

And to the earth be peace;

Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men

Begin and never cease.’