In 1977, Haslam began her solo career with her album Annie in Wonderland, produced by Roy Wood who played most of the musical instruments, and who also duetted with her on one track, and also performed on the Intergalactic Touring Band album. Haslam and Wood were engaged to be married for four years, which she later described as "Four of the funniest years of my life". She has since released eight studio albums, three of which were released through her own record label, White Dove. She has also collaborated with Steve Howe on a number of projects.
In 1993 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she survived and which became the inspiration for her 1994 album, Blessing in Disguise.
Her 2006 Live Studio Concert, was also released as her first solo DVD. Haslam released an EP called Night and Day, her first solo recording for some years, with Welsh rock band Magenta in 2006.
Haslam currently resides in Central Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Annie Haslam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That glorious song of old
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing!
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring:
"O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing!"
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled
And still their heavenly music floats
Over all the weary world
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing
All ye, beneath life's crushing load
Whose forms are bending low
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow
Look, now, for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing
O rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hastening on
By prophet bards foretold
When with the ever-circling years
Comes 'round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing!
The first verse of Annie Haslam's "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ as it is presented in the Bible's book of Luke. The lyrics emphasize the majesty of the moment when the angels appeared to announce the news to the shepherds. The use of the word "glorious" suggests that the angels and the message they brought with them were worth great admiration and reflection. The message, "peace on earth, good will to men," promised a better world and a better future. The "solemn stillness" suggests that the world was finally ready to hear and receive the important message.
The second verse expands on the idea of peace on Earth, which is not yet fully realized, even after two thousand years. The world has seen "woes of sin and strife," and humanity has not been able to achieve peace. The angels' message continues to be relevant and essential, but it is often lost among the noise of human conflict. The message is presented as a love song, and it is directed at the "men of strife." The idea is that if they could only listen and be still, they would hear the song of peace and love.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear
On a clear night at midnight
That glorious song of old
The angel's hymn
From angels bending near the earth
The angels came down near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
To play their golden harps
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
A message of peace and goodwill to all people on earth
From heaven's all-gracious King."
Sent from God, who is overflowing with grace and kindness.
The world in solemn stillness lay
The world was quiet and still
To hear the angels sing!
To listen to the singing of the angels
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
Despite the problems caused by sin and conflict
The world has suffered long
The world has endured these problems for a long time
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
For two thousand years the angel's message has continued
Two thousand years of wrong
Two thousand years of sin and conflict
And man, at war with man, hears not
Humans at war with one another cannot hear
The love song which they bring:
The song of love that the angels bring
"O hush the noise, ye men of strife
Stop the fighting and noise, people of conflict
And hear the angels sing!"
Listen to the angels' song
Still through the cloven skies they come
They still come through the split skies
With peaceful wings unfurled
With untroubled wings opened up
And still their heavenly music floats
Their heavenly music still rises
Over all the weary world
Over the entire exhausted world
Above its sad and lowly plains
Above the melancholic and humble lands
They bend on hovering wing
They descend slowly, hovering with their wings
And ever over its Babel sounds
And still over the confused noise of humanity
The blessed angels sing
The angels sing their blessed song
All ye, beneath life's crushing load
All you who carry life's burdensome weight
Whose forms are bending low
Whose bodies are hunched with the weight of life
Who toil along the climbing way
Who are working hard to climb upward
With painful steps and slow
With difficult, slow steps
Look, now, for glad and golden hours
Be hopeful for happy and glorious times
Come swiftly on the wing
That will arrive quickly
O rest beside the weary road
Take a break next to the tired road
And hear the angels sing!
And listen to the angels' song
For lo! the days are hastening on
Because the days are coming soon
By prophet bards foretold
As predicted by the poetic prophets
When with the ever-circling years
When as the years go by and repeat
Comes 'round the age of gold
The golden age will appear
When peace shall over all the earth
When peace will cover the entire earth
Its ancient splendors fling
And the world celebrates its past glory
And the whole world give back the song
And the world responds with the song
Which now the angels sing!
That the angels are singing now
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Integrity Music
Written by: DON MCLEAN, EDMUND HAMILTON SEARS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind