Gauntlett: Once in Royal David`s City
Choir and Orchestra Lyrics

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Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed
Mary was that Mother mild
Jesus Christ her little Child

He came down to earth from heaven

Who is God and Lord of all
And his shelter was a stable
And his cradle was a stall
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy

Not in that poor lowly stable
With the oxen standing by
We shall see him, but in heaven
Set at God's right hand on high

Where like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Gauntlett: Once in Royal David's City, depicts the birth of Jesus Christ, as Mary, his mother, lays him in a manger for his bed. The song describes how Jesus came down to earth from heaven, to live among us, and was sheltered in a humble stable. He lived amongst the poor and lowly and became the holy savior. The lyrics also convey that Jesus is now in heaven, sitting at the right hand of God and awaiting his children, who are crowned in white, to surround him like stars.

The song is rich in its religious and symbolic meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ. The lyrics set the tone for the celebration of Christmas, which is the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. The song vividly describes the humble beginnings of Jesus Christ, how he lived amongst the poor and lowly and the ultimate sacrifice he made for the sake of humanity. The song's lyrics remind us that Jesus Christ is now in heaven, waiting for us to join him.

Line by Line Meaning

Once in royal David's city
There was a time in the city of David when something remarkable happened

Stood a lowly cattle shed
There was a humble cattle shed that was present there

Where a mother laid her baby
The mother placed her newborn baby there

In a manger for his bed
As there was no crib, the baby laid down in a manger

Mary was that Mother mild
The mother's name was Mary, who was known for her gentle, kind nature

Jesus Christ her little Child
The baby was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was innocent and pure (little)

He came down to earth from heaven
Jesus was sent from heaven to Earth by God

Who is God and Lord of all
Jesus is both God and the ruler of everything

And his shelter was a stable
The shelter that Jesus found on Earth was in a stable

And his cradle was a stall
The baby's bed was made within an animal enclosure (stall)

With the poor and mean and lowly
Jesus lived among the poor, unimportant and humble during his time on Earth

Lived on earth our Saviour holy
Our Holy Saviour, who is a sacred figure, made His life on Earth

Not in that poor lowly stable
We could not possibly see Jesus now as He was in that poor manger

With the oxen standing by
There were even oxen with Jesus at that time

We shall see him, but in heaven
Although we cannot see Him now, we will see Jesus in heaven

Set at God's right hand on high
Jesus is God's right-hand man and is in the most prominent place in heaven

Where like stars his children crowned
Jesus has children (referring to his followers) and they will be crowned in heaven

All in white shall wait around
His followers will be dressed in white for the waiting of the Second Coming

Lyrics © Integrity Music, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CECIL F ALEXANDER, HENRY JOHN GAUNTLETT, PHIL KELSALL, Arthur Mann, Bramwell Gay, Henry Gauntlett, Robin Wells

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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