Good King Wenceslas
Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel
Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou knowst it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes fountain.
Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I shall see him dine
When we bear them thither.
Page and monarch, forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude winds wild lament
And the bitter weather
Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer.
Mark my footsteps, good my page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shall find the winters rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
In his masters step he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
The song Good King Wenceslas tells the story of a real person, King Wenceslas I of Bohemia who was known for his generosity and kindness to the poor. The lyrics describe him on the Feast of Stephen, which is the day after Christmas, looking out and seeing a poor man trying to gather winter fuel in the midst of deep snow and harsh weather. The king is moved with compassion and asks his page to join him in bringing food and logs to the poor man's home. The page's fear of the bitter weather and harsh conditions is alleviated by the king's words of encouragement to follow in his footsteps and find warmth in the places where Saint Agnes had trod.
The lyrics present a powerful message of generosity and compassion, urging the listeners to follow in the footsteps of King Wenceslas and bless the poor. Furthermore, it suggests that those who do so will be blessed in return. The song also carries a clear Christian message, with references to Saint Agnes and the implication that the heat in the sod where the king and page treaded was due to the saint's divine power. Good King Wenceslas inspires those who hear the song, to act kindly and to spread joy to others, to be aware of the needs of those around us, and to respond with generosity where possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
The king gazed outside his window
On the Feast of Stephen
It was the holiday of Saint Stephen's Day
When the snow lay round about
Snow covered the lands
Deep and crisp and even
The snow was thick and evenly spread
Brightly shone the moon that night
The moon illuminated the surroundings
Though the frost was cruel
Despite the harsh frost
When a poor man came in sight
A destitute man was spotted
Gathering winter fuel
Collecting items to keep warm
Hither, page, and stand by me,
Come here, servant, and stand beside me
If thou knowst it, telling
Inform me if you know who that is
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that commoner over there?
Where and what his dwelling?
Where does he live, what is his home like?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
He lives a fair distance from here, my lord
Underneath the mountain
Near the base of the mountain
Right against the forest fence
Next to the fence surrounding the woods
By Saint Agnes fountain.
Close to the fountain of Saint Agnes
Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me meat and alcohol
Bring me pine logs hither
Fetch some pine wood to burn
Thou and I shall see him dine
We'll observe him eat
When we bear them thither.
When we carry these things over
Page and monarch, forth they went
The servant and king set out
Forth they went together
They travelled jointly
Through the rude winds wild lament
In spite of the harsh, grieving gusts
And the bitter weather
And the chilly climate
Sire, the night is darker now
My lord, the night is even darker now
And the wind blows stronger
And the wind is more intense
Fails my heart, I know not how
My heart weakens, I don't know why
I can go no longer.
I can't continue any further
Mark my footsteps, good my page
Take note of my footprints, my trustworthy servant
Tread thou in them boldly
Confidently walk in them
Thou shall find the winters rage
You'll experience the wrath of winter
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
But your blood will be less cold
In his masters step he trod
He followed his master's steps
Where the snow lay dinted
Where the snow was compressed and marked
Heat was in the very sod
The heat was still present in the ground
Which the Saint had printed
From where Saint Wenceslas had walked
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
So, Christians, be certain
Wealth or rank possessing
Whether you have wealth or status
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Those who wish to bless the unfortunate
Shall yourselves find blessing.
Shall discover blessings themselves.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: James Morgan, Juliette Pochin, Dp
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@timbates3050
This is the only context in which a man with a deep voice saying "bring me flesh" is heartwarming.
@donyawicken2521
😂
@UncleJakesRaidersVideos
😂
@thishouseofglass
lmao
@Littlelewie151
I'm in tears!
@bifnasty
Fantastic comment.
@majorpayne100
No auto tune 🎶
@ironcladvee6229
My favorite Xmas song
@ILoveStorms
CHRISTmas, not Xmas!
@ironcladvee6229
@@ILoveStorms Wow. You must be an atheist. Give Jesus credit, He was actually very intelligent. He knows what people mean when they say “Xmas”. How rude.