Away in a Manger
Anne Murray Lyrics


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Away in a manger, no crib for the bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle 'til morning is neigh.

Believe me, Lord Jesus, I asked thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.




The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Anne Murray's "Away in a Manger" tell the story of the birth of Jesus, specifically focusing on the place of his birth and his simplicity. The first two lines "Away in a manger, no crib for the bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head" describe how Jesus was born in a stable, with no proper place to lay his head, instead laying in a manger or feeding trough for animals. The next two lines "The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay" paint a peaceful and serene picture of the newborn baby laid to rest surrounded by the stars and in the hay.


The second verse "The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes" describes how despite the noise of the animals, the baby Jesus remained calm and did not cry, emphasizing his divine nature. The next few lines "I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, And stay by my cradle 'til morning is neigh" express the singer's love for Jesus and desire for his continued presence in their life, asking him to watch over them until morning.


In the final verse "Believe me, Lord Jesus, I asked thee to stay, Close by me forever and love me I pray, Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And take us to heaven to live with thee there," the singer expresses their trust and faith in Jesus, asking him to always be near and bless all children under his care. The lyrics conclude with a request for Jesus to take them to heaven to live with him in eternity.


Line by Line Meaning

Away in a manger, no crib for the bed,
The baby Jesus was not born in a comfortable place like a bed; there was no crib.


The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The baby Jesus laid his head down to rest.


The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The stars were shining upon the baby Jesus.


The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
The baby Jesus was sleeping on hay.


The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes,
The cows are mooing and the baby Jesus is awakened.


But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
Even though he was awakened, baby Jesus didn't cry.


I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
I love you, Lord Jesus! Please look down on me from heaven.


And stay by my cradle 'til morning is neigh.
Stay with me until the morning comes.


Believe me, Lord Jesus, I asked thee to stay
Jesus, please believe that I want you to stay with me.


Close by me forever and love me I pray
Please stay close to me forever and love me.


Bless all the dear children in thy tender care
Bless all of the children that you take care of, dear Lord.


And take us to heaven to live with thee there.
Please take us to heaven to live with you there.


Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The baby Jesus was born in a manger, without a crib.


The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The baby Jesus laid down his sweet head to rest.


The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The stars were shining upon the baby Jesus.


The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
The baby Jesus was sleeping on hay.




Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: William J. Kirkpatrick, Traditional

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Robert Thompson


on Me Too

Lyrics found here are completely wrong; completely different song.

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