During her career, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards. She performed a new concert show, The Showgirl Must Go On, live five nights a week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2011 (together with Cher and Elton John).
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Bette Midler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'nt give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
The song "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is a Christian hymn, originally written in Latin in the 12th century. It is a song of longing and anticipation, sung during the season of Advent, which is the period of four weeks leading up to Christmas. The song consists of five verses, each addressing Christ by a different title, asking Him to come and deliver His people.
The first verse acknowledges the Israelites as captives in a state of lonely exile, longing for the coming of the Son of God to bring about ransom and redemption. The second verse refers to Christ as the "Rod of Jesse," prophesied in the Old Testament as a descendant of King David who would bring salvation to His people. The third verse calls Christ the "Day-Spring," or the dawn, who will bring light into the darkness of despair and death. The fourth verse addresses Christ as the "Key of David," who unlocks the path to heaven and closes the path to misery. Finally, the fifth verse speaks of Christ as the "Lord of Might," who gave the law to His people on Mount Sinai, and who will come again in majesty and power.
One of the interesting facts about this hymn is that it was originally part of a series of seven antiphons, known as the "O Antiphons," that were sung in the seven days leading up to Christmas. Each antiphon began with the word "O" and addressed Christ by a different title. The hymn we know as "O Come O Come Emmanuel" combines these seven antiphons into one song.
Another interesting fact is that the Latin text of the hymn was discovered in an 1851 manuscript in the library of a French monastery. The text is thought to date back to at least the 12th century, but may be even older.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, O come, Emmanuel
Come, Emmanuel, come and be amongst us
And ransom captive Israel
Free Israel who is held captive
That mourns in lonely exile here
Israel is sad and alone in this place of banishment
Until the Son of God appear
Until the Son of God arrives and offers comfort and salvation
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Celebrate and find joy in Emmanuel's coming
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Emmanuel is coming to Israel
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Come, descendant of Jesse and free us from Satan's grasp
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
Save your own people from Satan's power
From depths of Hell Thy people save
Save your people from the lowest depths of Hell
And give them victory o'er the grave
Grant them victory over death
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Come, bring light and joy to us like the dawn
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Your coming will lift our spirits
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
Scatter the darkness and bring us light
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Make the darkness of death disappear
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
Come, descendant of David and open the way for us
And open wide our heavenly home;
Open the doors of our heavenly home wide for us
Make safe the way that leads on high,
Make the way to salvation secure
And close the path to misery.
Close the route that leads to sadness and suffering
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Come, Lord of power and offer us strength
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
Who gave the law to your people on Mount Sinai
In ancient times did'nt give the Law,
Grant us the Law as you did in the past
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Reveal yourself in a magnificent and powerful way
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Celebrate and find joy in Emmanuel's coming
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Emmanuel is coming to Israel
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, DAVID WILLCOCKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Coleen Wilson
on Wind Beneath My Wings
lovely song