What Child Is This?
Al Martino (Holiday) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.
Why lies he in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The Cross be borne for me, for you;
Hail, hail, the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king, to own him.
the King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sing her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
The lyrics to Al Martino's song, "What Child Is This?" offer a beautiful description of the birth of Jesus Christ. The first verse poses the question, "What child is this, who, laid to rest,/On Mary's lap is sleeping?" This rhetorical question draws the listener in, inviting them to contemplate and reflect on the significance of the newborn child. The verse concludes with the image of the shepherds keeping watch, while angels sing sweet anthems of praise. The second verse delves deeper into the meaning of Christ's birth, highlighting the paradox of his humble beginnings in a manger among animals. The verse explains that Christ's birth and eventual death on the cross was for the salvation of all humanity, making the listener feel personally implicated in the story.
The final verse brings a sense of joy and celebration, inviting all people to come and honor the new king with gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh, regardless of their social status. The song ends with the triumphant proclamation of Christ's birth, calling on all to sing their joyful praises to the virgin mother who cradles the infant Jesus.
Line by Line Meaning
What child is this, who, laid to rest,
Who is this child who is lying down asleep on Mary's lap?
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
The baby Jesus is sleeping on Mary's lap.
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
The angels welcome the baby with sweet songs.
While shepherds watch are keeping?
The shepherds are keeping watch over the baby.
This, this is Christ the King,
This baby is Christ the King.
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
The shepherds watch over him and the angels sing praises to him.
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
Quickly, let us bring him praise.
The babe, the son of Mary.
The baby is Mary's son.
Why lies he in such mean estate
Why does he lie here in such poor circumstances?
Where ox and ass are feeding?
He is lying where the oxen and donkeys eat.
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
Christians, beware, for Jesus is here to redeem sinners.
The silent Word is pleading.
The silent Jesus is asking for our redemption.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
Jesus will later suffer death by the cross and the spear.
The Cross be borne for me, for you;
Jesus will bear the cross for the salvation of all of us.
Hail, hail, the Word made flesh,
Hail, hail the Son of God who became flesh.
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
The baby is Mary's Son, who is also the Son of God.
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Bring him gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh.
Come, peasant, king, to own him.
All can come to acknowledge and worship him, whether they are peasants or kings.
the King of kings salvation brings,
The King of Kings brings salvation to all.
Let loving hearts enthrone him.
Let us give our hearts to him and make him our King.
Raise, raise the song on high,
Let us sing loudly and joyfully about him.
The Virgin sing her lullaby:
The virgin Mary sings a lullaby to her Son.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
Let us be joyful, for Christ is now born.
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
The baby is Mary's Son, who is also the Son of God.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DOUGLAS E WAGNER, WILLIAM C DIX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind