Good King Wenceslas
Bing Crosby/Rosemary Clooney Lyrics

Good King Wenceslas looked out
The king, Wenceslas, peered outside

On the Feast of Stephen
It was the day of celebration in honor of Saint Stephen

When the snow lay round about
Snow covered the land in every direction

Deep and crisp and even
The snow was thick, uniform and level

Brightly shone the moon that night
Despite the cruelness of the frost, the moon was shining brightly

Though the frost was cruel
It was a harsh winter with bitter cold

When a poor man came in sight
A destitute man could be seen approaching at a distance

Gathering winter fuel
He was collecting wood to burn during the winter

Hither, page, and stand by me
Come here, page, stand next to me

If thou knowst it, telling
If you know anything about the man, tell me

Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that working-class man in the distance?

Where and what his dwelling?
Where does he live and what is his living condition?

Sire, he lives a good league hence
Sir, he lives at least three miles away

Underneath the mountain
He has his dwelling at the foot of the mountain

Right against the forest fence
He has his home on the edge of the forest

By Saint Agnes fountain.
His house is near the fountain dedicated to Saint Agnes

Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me meat and wine

Bring me pine logs hither
Bring the logs of pine wood here

Thou and I shall see him dine
The two of us will see him eat

When we bear them thither.
When we bring them there

Page and monarch, forth they went
The page and the king left together

Forth they went together
They set out side by side

Through the rude winds wild lament
They pushed through the harsh howling winds

And the bitter weather
Despite the cold and bitter climate

Sire, the night is darker now
Sir, the darkness of night has deepened

And the wind blows stronger
The wind is gusting more heavily

Fails my heart, I know not how
My heart is failing me and I don't know why

I can go no longer.
I can't go any further

Mark my footsteps, good my page
Take careful note of my footsteps, my good page

Tread thou in them boldly
Walk confidently in them

Thou shall find the winters rage
You will experience the fury of winter's cold

Freeze thy blood less coldly.
But it will be less cold than if you tried to walk alone

In his masters step he trod
The page followed in his master's footsteps

Where the snow lay dinted
Where the snow was compacted from walking

Heat was in the very sod
The ground was warm from the footsteps of a saint

Which the Saint had printed
Who was none other than Saint Wenceslas himself

Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Therefore, followers of Christ, be certain

Wealth or rank possessing
Regardless of whether you are rich or poor

Ye, who now will bless the poor
Those of you who give to the less fortunate

Shall yourselves find blessing.
Will find blessings for yourselves.