What sweeter music
John Rutter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honor to this day,
That sees December turned to May.
That sees December turned to May.
Why does the chilling winter's morn
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn,
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
Gives life and luster, public mirth,
To heaven, and the under-earth.
We see him come, and know him ours,
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him. To welcome him.
The nobler part Of all the house here,
is the heart.
Which we will give him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do him honour, who's our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.
What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a carol for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
The lyrics to John Rutter's song "What sweeter music" celebrates the birth of Christ and calls for an awakening of voices and strings to sing of this holy event. The opening lines of the song ask, "What sweeter music can we bring than a carol for to sing the birth of this our heavenly king?" The words "sweeter music" refer to the joy and peace that the birth of Christ brings to the world. The choice of words, "our heavenly king," highlights the notion of Christ's divinity and his importance in the world.
The second verse of the song beckons for the darkness of the night to give way to the glory and celebration of the day that December turns into May. The winter morning that was once dull and dark becomes bright and fragrant as the birth of the Lord makes all things new. The lyrics hint at the idea of a rebirth, with December turning into May and winter mornings smiling like a field surrounded by corn. The birth of Christ is the cause of things becoming fragrant and new again.
The final verse of the song invites the listener to welcome Christ into their hearts and to bequeath him with holly and ivy wreath, a symbol of honor and respect. The lyrics end with a repetition of the first verse, highlighting the importance of celebrating the birth of Christ in joy and appreciation.
Line by Line Meaning
What sweeter music can we bring
What could be more beautiful than the music we bring?
Than a carol, for to sing
We sing a carol to celebrate
The birth of this our heavenly king?
The birth of our Heavenly King is what we celebrate
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Let us raise our voices and play our instruments to honor Him
Dark and dull night, fly hence away
The dark and gloomy night must go away
And give the honor to this day
The honor should be given to this special day
That sees December turned to May
This day transforms December into May
Why does the chilling winter's morn
Why does the cold morning of winter
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Seem as delightful as a field full of corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn,
And smell like newly-cut grass?
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see
Out of nowhere? Come and see why
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
What is the reason for all these sweet smells?
'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
It's because He was born, and His birth gave life
Gives life and luster, public mirth,
It brings life to everything and makes people happy
To heaven, and the under-earth.
Both heaven and earth are affected by His birth
We see him come, and know him ours,
We see Him arrive, and we know He is ours
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
He, who brings both warmth and rain
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
Transforms the earth into a garden
The darling of the world is come,
The beloved one of the world has come
And fit it is, we find a room
It's only right that we make room for Him
To welcome him. To welcome him.
To give Him a warm welcome. A warm welcome.
The nobler part of all the house here,
The most important part of this house
Is the heart,
Is the heart
Which we will give him; and bequeath
We will give Him our hearts, and pass down
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
This holly and ivy wreath
To do him honour, who's our king,
To honor our King
And Lord of all this revelling.
And Lord of all our celebrations.
Writer(s): JOHN RUTTER
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bcoxal
What sweeter music can we bring
Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honor to this day,
That sees December turned to May.
That sees December turned to May.
Why does the chilling winter's morn
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn,
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
Gives life and luster, public mirth,
To heaven, and the under-earth.
We see him come, and know him ours,
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him. To welcome him.
The nobler part Of all the house here,
is the heart.
Which we will give him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do him honour, who's our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.
What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a carol for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
@johnuitdeflesch3593
What sweeter music can we bring
Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Dark and dull night, fly hence away
And give the honor to this day
That sees December turned to May
That sees December turned to May
Why does the chilling winter's morn
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see
The cause, why things thus fragrant be
'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
Gives life and luster, public mirth
To heaven, and the under-earth
We see him come, and know him ours
Who, with his sunshine and his showers
Turns all the patient ground to flowers
Turns all the patient ground to flowers
The darling of the world is come
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him, to welcome him
The nobler part Of all the house here
Is the heart
Which we will give him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath
To do him honour, who's our King
And Lord of all this revelling
What sweeter music can we bring
Than a carol for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
@lindabaer4086
I am a Jewish cantor, and this exquisite music is holy, sacred, and stunning in its beauty. When I first heard it long ago on my car radio, I pulled over, and just listened, weeping. Hate cannot prevail in the face of beauty such as this.
@robertdaugherty2314
What a wonderful tribute to the power of music to move us.
@bonnienoble-jones4380
I sang in 200 voice choir and we sang a lot of his music. It was the most amazing experience to be in middle of all those voices singing such blessed music.
@kevinfitzmaurice4072
Beautifully said about a beautiful piece.
@rosabailey5375
It is beautiful and comforting. I find myself listening to it from memory some mornings.
@theUrbanJoe
Surely this music is eternal. From times past and times to come…
@lupinesangre
This is one of the most beautiful choral pieces of all time. The last time I performed it with a wonderful choir, I cried.
@evelyntapia4130
There's nothing sweeter than John Rutter's music. 💕
@yourmother131
or a carol for to sing
@michaeldj5
This is music that is so intensely beautiful that it almost physically hurts to listen to it. I don't know what to do with myself when I listen to this over and over and over.