Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Christy Carew Lyrics
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And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the Body and the Blood
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of Light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"
In Christy Carew's song "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence", the lyrics invoke a sense of reverence and awe in the listener. The opening line "Let all mortal flesh keep silence" sets the tone for the rest of the song, urging those listening to stand with fear and trembling before a divine presence. The lyrics then caution listeners to free their minds of earthly concerns, for the Lord is coming to earth to demand full homage.
The second stanza paints a picture of Christ as both king of kings and a human being, born of Mary. The phrase "Lord of lords in human vesture" describes Christ's human appearance, while the imagery of the "Body and the Blood" alludes to his sacrificial death on the cross, which he offers as spiritual sustenance to faithful believers.
In the final stanza, the "host of heaven" descends, with the "Light of Light" vanquishing the powers of hell. The six-winged seraph and cherubim, who are renowned for their unwavering service to God, veil their faces in reverence and join in unceasing cries of "Alleluia, alleluia!"
Overall, the lyrics of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" urge listeners to approach God with humility and reverence, and to appreciate the mystery and beauty of the divine.
Line by Line Meaning
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
May all human beings refrain from making any noise or speaking.
And with fear and trembling stand;
May all humans stand in awe and with deep respect.
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
Do not entertain any earthly thoughts.
For with blessing in his hand
He comes bearing blessings.
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Jesus, our God has come to earth.
Our full homage to demand.
He deserves our full show of respect and admiration.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
Even though He is the King of all kings, He was born of Mary.
As of old on earth he stood,
He once stood on earth a long time ago.
Lord of lords in human vesture,
He is the Lord of all lords, but He is taking on human form.
In the Body and the Blood
He is present in both body and blood.
He will give to all the faithful
He will give Himself to those who have faith in Him.
His own self for heavenly food.
He will offer Himself as heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Many, many angels from heaven have come.
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
They are spreading out their ranks as they proceed on their journey.
As the Light of Light descendeth
As the brightest light of all arrives.
From the realms of endless day,
From the unending, eternal world.
That the powers of hell may vanish
So the powers of the devil may be wiped out.
As the darkness clears away.
As the darkness dissipates.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
At his feet are six-winged angels or seraphim.
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Also keeping watch are the sleepless eye cherubim.
Veil their faces to the Presence,
They cover their faces in the presence of God.
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
They continue to cry out in an unbroken stream of sound.
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Saying "praise the Lord" again and again!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"
Praising the Lord Most High!
Writer(s): Christy Carew
Contributed by Alice V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Nosam1970
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood:
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Lord most high!
@brandonwilliams3362
S/o to all my music lovers that recognized this beautiful song on the show and immediately searched for it !
@mohamedaliabazi7783
I was sleeping and I heard this song then I get up searching for it 😅
@therochd_
❤️
@silverwasp3895
I started sweating so much while looking for song
@trustzzz3646
Sadly the episode was one out of the only 4-5 bad ones :(
@silverwasp3895
@Trust Zzz to be honest as long as people are dying and keeping things moving I'm fine
@kimhealy1446
My relatives were watching this episode a few hours before my mother's memorial service in 2018. I heard it from another room and didn't see but a few seconds of it. The song was a welcome sighting of a favorite Anglican hymn in my acute bereavement and felt like a direct act of grace on that day. I later found out the story events it went with. The song works there because of how close "awesome and august" can be to "terrifying" though that is seldom in conscious awareness. This left me grateful for a Higher Power who offered sacrifice FOR us instead of requiring it OF us. The premortem requiem for those "Whom you command to depart from us" in the episode...!
@Nosam1970
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood:
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Lord most high!
@stacihytrek1016
We sing this song in Mass, but this is the most beautiful rendition I have heard! I recognized it when watching The Blacklist!🙂
@tomlake2732
The juxtaposition of the horrific acts in the show with this beautiful, plaintive music is chilling!