Christmas carols
Carols have been part of the Christmas experience for generation after generation. Here are the words to some of the most-loved and most-recognised carols sung today.
- Away in a manger
- Joy to the world
- As with gladness
- Hark, the herald angels sing
- Angels from the realms of glory
- It came upon a midnight clear
- O come, all ye faithful
- Silent night
- O little town of Bethlehem
- Once in royal David's city
- The first Nowell
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the bright sky look 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.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King,
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love.
As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold,
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Ever more be led to Thee.
As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly manger bed,
There to bend the knee before
Him whom Heaven and earth adore,
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek the mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
At that manger rude and bare,
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin's alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.
Holy Jesus! every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no start to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.
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 Emmanuel.
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 man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Angels, from the realms of Glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth:
Ye, who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth.
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.
Shepherds in the field abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light.
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.
Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.
Sinners moved by true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you, break your chains.
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the new-born King.
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From Heaven's all-gracious King!
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong.
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.
For lo! The days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold,
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendours fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.
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, Christ the Lord!
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above
Glory to God in the highest:
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, Christ the Lord!
Silent Night! Holy Night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round the virgin mother and Child;
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Rests in heavenly peace.
Silent Night! Holy Night!
Guiding star, lend thy light.
See, the eastern wise men bring
Gifts and homage to our King,
Jesus Christ is here.
Silent night! Holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light.
With the angels let us sing
Hallelujahs to our King,
Jesus Christ is here.
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee 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
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 mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honour and obey,
Love and watch the lowly mother
In whose gentle arms He lay.
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless;
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
The first Nowell the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star,
Shining in the east beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
And by the light of that same star,
Three wise men came from country far,
To seek for a king was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.
This star drew near to the north-west,
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Then entered in those wise men three,
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
That hath made Heaven and earth of naught,
And with his blood mankind hath bought.