O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Translator. J. M. Neale (1851)

 

​O come, O come, Emmanuel​

And ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lowly exile here,

Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee,

O Israel.

 

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In Dulci Jubilo

Heinrich Seuse, Translation by Robert Lucas Pearsall

 

1. In dulci jubilo [In sweet joy]


Let us our homage show


Our heart’s joy reclineth


In praesepio [in a manger]


And like a bright star shineth


Matris in gremio [in the mother's lap]


Alpha es et O. [Thou art Alpha & Omega]

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2. O Jesu parvule [O tiny Jesus]


I yearn for thee alway

Hear me, I beseech thee


O puer optima [O best of boys]


My prayer let it reach thee,


O princeps gloriae, [Prince of glory]


Trahe me post te. [draw me unto thee]

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3. O patris caritas [O father's caring]


O nati lenitas [O newborn's mildness]


Deeply were we stained


Per nostra crimina [by our crimes]


But thou hast for us gained


Coelorum gaudia [heavenly joy]


O that we were there.

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4. Ubi sunt gaudia [where be joys]


If that they be not there


There are angels singing


Nova cantina [new songs]


There the bells are ringing


In regis curia [at the king's court]


O that we were there.

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​O Come, All Ye Faithful

J.F. Wade, Translation by Frederick Oakeley
- Please sing only bold text -

 

1. Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,

[O Come, all ye Faithful, joyful and Triumphant]
Veníte, veníte in Bethlehem.

[O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem]
Natum vidéte, Regem Angelorum:

[Come and behold him, born the King of Angels]
Veníte adoremus Dóminum

[O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord]

 

2. 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, Christ the Lord!

 

3. See how the shepherds,
Summond 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, Christ the Lord!

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6. 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, Christ the Lord!

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7. Yea, Lord, we greet thee,

Born this happy morning.

Jesu, to thee be glory giv'n;

Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing

O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!

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The Mother and the Child

Jamison Stevens

 

Lullaby
The Mother and the Child
The Child is not Hers
She loves Him more than life itself but His life is for Hers.

​

She holds Him in her arms
She’ll hold Him there a gain
Though now she weeps for joy at Him
In pain She’ll weep again

 

The Mother and the Child
For Him her should she’d give
His fate is sealed by God Himself
This child was born to die.

 

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Gaudete

Latin Song, Translation by Anonymous

 

Gaudete, gaudete Christos est natus

[Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born]
Ex Maria virginae, gaudete.

[Of the Virgin Mary – Rejoice!]

 

1. Tempus ad est gratiae hoc quod optabamus,

[The time of grace has come— What we have wished for;]
Carmina laetitiae devote redamus.

[Songs of joy Let us give back faithfully.]

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2. Deus homo factus est naturam erante,

[God has become man, With nature marvelling,]
Mundus renovatus est a Christo regnante.

[The world has been renewed By the reigning Christ.]

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3. Ezecheelis porta clausa per transitor

[The closed gate of Ezekiel Is passed through,]
Unde lux est orta sallus invenitor.

[Whence the light is risen; Salvation has been found]

 

Ergo nostra contio psallat jam in lustro,

[Therefore, let our assembly Now sing in brightness]
Benedicat domino sallas regi nostro.

[​Let it bless the Lord: Salvation to our King.]​

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O Holy Night

Placide Cappeau, Translation by John Sullivan Dwight

 

1. O holy night! the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope- the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
 

2. O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the Wise Men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend.
He knows our need— to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

 

3. Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley
- Please sing only bold text -

 

1. Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th'angelic hosts proclaim,
 

2. "Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin's womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th'incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel. [Refrain]
 

3. 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 we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.

​

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Once in Royal David's City

Cecil Frances Alexander
- Please sing only bold text -

​

1. 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.

 

2. 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 Savior holy.

 

3. For he is our childhood’s pattern,
Day by day like us he goes,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us he knew:
And he feelers for our sadness;
And the swarth in our gladness

 

4. And our eyes at last shall see Him,
through His own redeeming love;
for that Child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav'n above,
and He leads His children on
to the place where He is gone.

 

5. 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;
when like stars His children crowned
all in white shall wait around.

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The Three Kings

Peter Cornelius, Translation by H.N. Bate

Philip Nicolai, Translation by Anonymous

​

Three Kings from Persian lands afar


To Jordan follow the pointing star:


And this the quest of the travellers three,


Where the new-born King of the Jews may be.


Full royal gifts they bear for the King;


Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

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(How brightly shines the morning star!


With grace and truth from heaven afar


Our Jesse tree now bloweth.)

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The star shines out with a steadfast ray;


The kings to Bethlehem make their way,


And there in worship they bend the knee,


As Mary’s child in her lap they see;


Their royal gifts they show to the King;


Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

​

(Of Jacob’s stem and David’s line,


For thee, my Bridegroom, King divine,


My soul with love o’erfloweth.)

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Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem


The Kings are travelling, travel with them!


The star of mercy, the star of grace,


Shall lead thy heart to its resting place.


Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring;


Offer thy heart to the infant King.

 

(Thy word, Jesu, Inly feeds us,


Rightly leads us, Life bestowing.


Praise, O praise such love o’erflowing.)

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Silent Night

Joseph Mohr, Translation by John Freeman Young

​

1. 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.

 

2. Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
heav'nly hosts sing, “Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!”

 

3. Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
radiant beams from Thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
 

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O Du Stille Zeit

Joseph von Echendorff, Translation by Connor Licharz

​

O du stille Zeit,

[O you time of stillness]
Kommst, eh wir's gedacht,

[you come sooner than expected]
Über die Berge weit,

[Across the far mountains]
Gute Nacht.

[Good night]

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In der Einsamkeit

[In solitude]
Rauscht es nun so sacht,

[it rushes so quietly]
über die Berge weit,

[Across the far mountains]
Gute Nacht.

[Good night]