Discovered by, among others, contemporary Christian music legend Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns got a recording contract and vaulted to popularity in 2003 with songs such as If We Are the Body and Who Am I. The Until The Whole World Hears Songfacts reports that Casting Crown's 2009 Until The Whole World Hears album recorded 167,000 sales in its first week, the largest selling debut week sales figures by a Christian artist in Nielsen Soundscan history.
Over the past eight years, Atlanta based Casting Crowns has consistently delivered music that points believers back to what truly matters.
Since its launch in 2003 the band has garnered 14 GMA Dove Awards, three GRAMMY Awards and an American Music Award. In addition, the band has seen three RIAA Platinum Albums (Casting Crowns, Lifesong, Altar and The Door), two RIAA Platinum DVDs (Live From Atlanta and Lifesong Live), two RIAA Gold Albums (Until the Whole World Hears, Peace on Earth) and two Gold DVDs (Altar and The Door Live and Until The Whole World Hears Live). Casting Crowns has sold more than 8.2 million albums to date (according to Nielsen SoundScan) and has been named Billboard magazine’s top-selling Christian act for the past four years.
The band recently celebrated its first RIAA certified Gold single, “Who Am I,” from its 2003 self-titled debut. The song, selling more than 500,000 copies, is one of only 12 Christian tracks ever to secure Gold status.
Casting Crowns has always worked its tour schedule around church responsibilities and has still managed to touch audiences around the world with its live performances. It’s 2009-2011 “Until The Whole World Hears” world tour placed the band in front nearly 1 million fans in more than 175 cities around the world including performances for U. S. troops in Kuwait and Qatar. The band also performed twice in North Korea in partnership with Global Resource Services.
Alongside the 2011 feature film, Courageous, Casting Crowns wrote a song by the same name which was also featured on their album Come to the Well released the same year. The album's second single,
"Jesus, Friend of Sinners" was not released until February of 2012. In September 2013, the band released "All You've Ever Wanted", the first single from Thrive which was released on January 28, 2014 and charted No. 6 in Billboard 's Top 200 in its first week. An accompanying book, written by Mark Hall, was released and explains the walk of a child of God and how we should "dig deep and reach out".
In early 2015 Casting Crowns released the hymn-album Glorious Day - Hymns of Faith, including Casting Crowns' Until the Whole World Hears singles "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" and "Blessed Redeemer", an acoustic versions of "If We Are the Body" and "Praise You In This Storm" as well as eight hymns.
In addition to a busy touring, recording and writing life, four of the members of Casting Crowns serve as ministers to their home church, Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia.
Sweet Little Jesus Boy
Casting Crowns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet little Holy child, we didn't know who You were
Long time ago it seems, You were born
Born in a manager Lord, sweet little Jesus boy
Didn't know you'd come to save us all
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind we did not see
You have shown us how
And we are trying
Master, You have shown us how
Even as You were dying
This world treats You mean, Lord
Treats me mean too
But that's how things are done down here
We didn't know it was You
Didn't know You'd come to save us all, to take our sins away
Our eyes were blind, we did not see
We didn't know who You were
The lyrics of Casting Crowns' Sweet Little Jesus Boy express a deep sense of regret and remorse for not recognizing the significance of Jesus Christ at the time of his birth. The song reflects on the humble beginnings of Jesus as a helpless infant born in a manger, surrounded by animals and shepherds. At that time, people didn't realize that Jesus was the Son of God who had been sent to Earth to save mankind. The lyrics describe how the world mistreated Jesus and how people failed to recognize him even after he had died on the cross.
The tone of the song is mournful, and the lyrics suggest that humanity has failed to recognize the true nature of Jesus throughout history. The song expresses a profound sense of loss, as people realize they could have done more to honor Jesus and acknowledge his divinity. Despite this, the lyrics also suggest a sense of hope and redemption, as people begin to understand the true meaning of Jesus' life and sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger
Oh sweet little Jesus boy, you were born in a humble stable
Sweet little Holy child, we didn't know who You were
We did not realize your divine nature and the impact you would have on the world
Long time ago it seems, You were born
It feels like a distant memory of the time when you were born
Born in a manager Lord, sweet little Jesus boy
You were born in a stable, oh sweet little Jesus boy
Didn't know you'd come to save us all
We didn't realize that you came to save all of humanity
To take our sins away
To release us from the burden and consequences of our sins
Our eyes were blind we did not see
We were spiritually blind and did not understand your true nature and purpose
You have shown us how
You have revealed to us the ways in which to live a righteous and fulfilling life
And we are trying
We are making an effort to live according to your teachings
Master, You have shown us how
You are our ultimate teacher and leader, and have shown us the path to follow
Even as You were dying
Even in your last moments on earth, you were teaching us about love and forgiveness
This world treats You mean, Lord
This world can be cruel and unjust towards you, oh Lord
Treats me mean too
We also experience mistreatment and hardship just like you did
But that's how things are done down here
Unfortunately, the world can be a harsh and unforgiving place
We didn't know it was You
We were unaware of your true identity and the significance of your presence in our lives
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Margaret Sofidiya
The lyrics are wonderful . . .and this song has been sung in many different 'styles' . . . The truth will transcend all cultural hurdles . . . Praise God !
JJ Grandma
I love it a cappella sitting on the edge of the stage. I worried about the pronunciations when I gave it to a student though. I asked her mom about it - and she said, absolutely not. I marched with Martin Luther King (she had a position in NAACP) and she was insistent it be pronounced just as it was written and was almost offended I'd consider modernizing the language!
Lesa Serrato
Oh, Amen! 😇
Keegan Chitwood Events & Design
I LOVE this song! It speaks the real truth about the Birth of Christ!
James Nicely
This is one of the most beautiful versions of this song I have heard.
EILEEN MILLER
🎁Jesus our greatest gift from God the Father! Merry Christmas!!!🎁
Sandra Breadner
So very good and moving gave me goose bump thank you may the season and all it mean be with you family and friends God bless every one.
Jeffrey Kerr
Thank you for putting this album out there , this year we have been too busy with stuff to do really any Christmas things and i love christmas so I thank you and wish you a very merry christmas My God Enough for me God bless
Justin Smith
Love this song! Crown has the best version of this song! Andy Williams has a great version of this too!
steve0oo
Beautiful song