It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Anita Bryant Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold

Peace on the earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the Angels sing

And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing

The first Noel the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay




In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep

Overall Meaning

Anita Bryant's song "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is a Christmas carol that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In the first verse, the lyrics describe the scene of angels playing their harps of gold near the earth, singing "peace on the earth." The second verse depicts the shepherds in the field hearing the first singing of "The First Noel" from an angel, which was the sign for them to travel to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus.


The lyrics of the song emphasize the theme of peace on earth, which is believed to be the message that the angels brought to the shepherds. The angels' message is a message of hope, love, and peace that still resonates with people today. The solemn stillness of the world, as described in the lyrics, further emphasizes the significance of the event that was about to take place.


Line by Line Meaning

It came upon the midnight clear
At midnight, a clear and beautiful event took place


That glorious song of old
A magnificent and ancient melody was sung


From Angels playing near the earth
Angels were present, playing music not far from the world


To touch their harps of gold
They played heavenly instruments made of precious metal


Peace on the earth could will two men
With the desire of two people, peace on earth can be achieved


From Heaven's all-gracious King
The source of such peace comes from a kind and merciful ruler of Heaven


The world in solemn stillness lay
The whole world was in a hushed and tranquil state


To hear the Angels sing
with a purpose of listening to the Angels' singing


And I hear them singing
I am witness to their singing


Sing, I do hear them singing
Indeed, I perceive their joyous voices


The first Noel the Angel did say
The Angel spoke of the first Noel


Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
It was told to a certain group of impoverished shepherds who were resting in a field


In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
They were caring for and tending to their sheep


On a cold winter's night that was so deep
On a frigid and dark winter evening




Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEE EVANS, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions