Away In a Manger
Alan Jackson (Holiday) Lyrics


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Away in a manger, no crib for his 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.




Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alan Jackson's "Away In A Manger" paint a beautiful picture of the night Jesus was born. The song starts with the mentioning of Jesus having no crib for his bed and the use of a manger instead. It continues on to say how Jesus, as a baby, lay down his sweet head in the hay. The lyrics also describe how the stars in the sky were shining so bright and how they looked down where Jesus lay.


The next part of the song talks about how the cattle were lowing and how the baby Jesus woke up. However, despite waking up, the little Lord Jesus did not cry. The lyrics end with the singer professing their love for Jesus and asking for him to stay by their side until morning is nigh.


The overall message of the song is one of reverence and adoration towards the baby Jesus. The singer is in awe of the fact that Jesus was born in such humble circumstances and yet still managed to bring so much love and beauty into the world.


Line by Line Meaning

Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,
The baby Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no crib available for him.


The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The baby Jesus rested his head in the manger peacefully.


The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The stars in the sky shone on the baby Jesus in the manger below.


The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The baby Jesus fell asleep on the hay in the manger.


The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
The sound of cattle lowing woke the baby Jesus up.


But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
Even though he was awakened by the cattle, the baby Jesus did not cry.


I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
The singer of the song expresses their love for Jesus and asks him to look down from heaven.


And stay by my side until morning is nigh.
The artist asks Jesus to remain with them until morning comes.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: . TRADITIONAL, MICHAEL PHILIP MCGLYNN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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