God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Bad Religion (Holiday) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
In Bethlehem, in Israel
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is a traditional Christmas carol that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The first verse instructs the listener to take comfort and not be dismayed because Christ was born on Christmas day to save us from Satan's power when we were lost. The second verse describes the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem and highlights the acceptance and lack of judgement from his mother, Mary. The third verse talks about the announcement of Jesus' birth by a heavenly angel to shepherds in Bethlehem. The song ends with a repetition of the phrase "comfort and joy", emphasizing the message of hope and glad tidings brought by the birth of Jesus Christ.
In Bad Religion's cover of the song, the band brings their punk rock sound to the classic Christmas carol, adding electric guitars and pounding drums to the traditional melody. The band's version also adds a slight change in the lyrics during the final repetition of "comfort and joy", shifting it to "comfort ye, oh my friends" and "joy, o joy" to reflect their artistic interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
May you merry gentlemen rest in peace and happiness
Let nothing you dismay
Don't feel troubled by anything
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Recall that Christ saved us
Was born on Christmas day
He was born on this day of Christmas
To save us all from Satan's power
To rescue us from the grip of Satan's influence
When we were gone astray
When we lost our way
O tidings of comfort and joy
News that fills one with relief and happiness
In Bethlehem, in Israel
This all happened in Bethlehem, located in Israel
This blessed Babe was born
A fortunate baby was brought into this world
And laid within a manger
And placed in a feeding trough for animals
Upon this blessed morn
On this fortunate morning
The which His Mother Mary
That is, His mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
Did not reject the idea in disdain
From God our Heavenly Father
A messenger from our divine father
A blessed Angel came
A holy angel arrived
And unto certain Shepherds
And announced to some shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
Delivered the same message
How that in Bethlehem was born
That the birth happened in Bethlehem
The Son of God by Name
The one called the Son of God
O tidings of comfort and joy
News that fills one with relief and happiness
O tidings of comfort and joy
News that fills one with relief and happiness
O tidings of comfort and joy
News that fills one with relief and happiness
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIAN SCOTT BENNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
NiktheGreek
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
In Bethlehem, in Israel
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God…
Eric Carlson
Don't have to be religious to enjoy a good Christmas song. Always a positivity vibe with BR.
Bino Habbryno
im still listening to this year ...i hope you all have a happy holiday and stay safe ...god blessed you all ..merry advance xmas and happy new year 2022
PeteStegemeyer
This is perfect. 30 minutes or so of Christmas music is about all I'm good for every year, and now I have it all provided by my favorite band. Thank you guys!
runcible
Not just a good "Christmas song," but simply a good song, period.Â
Johnny David
I'm playing these songs at church.
Camryn Jensen
Best Christmas album ever!
reprobatepaul
Depressing or not I had the biggest smile on my face the day I discovered these fantastic covers. No one does it quite like Bad Religion.
Katherine Sparrow
Got this to play on our radio station, It is so catchy that I added it to my personal holiday music collection!
Matt Sheezy
This might be my favorite Bad Religion record. You’ve got to do another one. This is true art.
Alex Kowalczyk
By far the best re-christmasing song ever.