The Gift
Daniel O'Donnell Lyrics

A poor orphan girl named Maria
The singer of the story is a young girl named Maria who is an orphan and impoverished.

Was walking to market one day
Maria was traveling to a local market in order to purchase goods or food.

She stopped for a rest by the roadside
Along the way, Maria paused to take a break and relax beside the road.

Where a bird with a broken wing lay
While resting, Maria noticed a bird with a broken wing lying nearby.

A few moments passed till she saw it
It took a little while for Maria to notice the bird.

For it's feathers were covered with sand
The bird's feathers were dirty and covered with sand.

But soon clean and wrapped it was traveling
Maria cared for the bird, cleaning it and wrapping it up in order to transport it safely.

In the warmth of Maria's small hand
Maria held the bird in her hand, keeping it warm and comfortable.

She happily gave her last peso
Maria joyfully gave her last bit of money, a peso, to purchase a cage for the bird.

On a cage made of rushes and twine
The cage that Maria purchased for the bird was made from natural materials like rushes and twine.

She fed it loose corn from the market
Maria provided food for the bird by purchasing corn from the market.

And watched it grow stronger with time
Over the course of time, Maria observed the bird becoming stronger and healthier under her care.

Now the Christmas Eve service was coming
The story takes place during the holiday season, with the Christmas Eve service approaching.

And the church shone with tinsel and light
The church was decorated with tinsel and other bright ornaments.

And all of the townfolk brought presents
In preparation for the holiday, the townspeople brought gifts to the church.

To lay by the manger that night
These gifts were intended to be presented near the manger, a symbol of the nativity scene.

There were diamonds and incense and perfumes
Many of the gifts being offered were luxurious and expensive, such as diamonds or perfumes.

In packages fit for a king
These gifts were wrapped up elegantly, resembling something suitable for a royal figure.

But for one ragged bird in a small cage
Despite the extravagant offerings, there was no gift being presented for the small, ragged bird that Maria cared for.

Maria had nothing to bring
Maria herself did not have anything to offer as a present for the child savior.

She waited till just before midnight
Maria waited until a late hour, shortly before midnight.

So no one could see her go in
In order to avoid attention, Maria slipped into the church unnoticed by the other townspeople.

And crying she knelt by the manger
Maria was overcome with emotion as she knelt by the manger to pay her respects.

For her gift was unworthy of Him
Maria felt inadequate in her offering, believing that the bird was too humble to be given as a gift to the savior.

Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
In her moment of sorrow, Maria heard a voice speaking to her in the darkness of the church.

Maria, what brings you to me
The voice asked Maria why she had come before the savior.

If the bird in the cage is your offering
The voice inquired if the bird was meant to be Maria's gift to the child.

Open the door, let me see
The voice instructed Maria to open the cage and release the bird.

Though she trembled, she did as he asked her
Despite her fear, Maria followed the voice's instructions and opened the bird's cage.

And out of the cage the bird flew
The bird escaped from the cage and flew freely through the church.

Soaring into the rafters
The bird flew high up into the rafters of the church.

On a wing that had healed good as new
The bird's wing had fully healed, allowing it to fly with strength and grace.

Just then the midnight bells rang out
As the bird sang, the clock struck midnight and the church bells began to chime.

And the little bird started to sing
The bird itself began to sing, adding its own natural melody to the ambiance of the church.

A song that no words could recapture
The bird's song was indescribably beautiful and powerful, beyond the expression of human speech.

Whose beauty was fit for a king
The bird's song was of such high quality that it would befit a royal or regal figure.

Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
Maria no longer felt inadequate in her offering, simply feeling blessed to have heard the bird's song.

To that cascade of notes sweet and long
Maria was enraptured by the bird's song, made up of many sweet and lasting notes.

As her offering was lifted to heaven
Maria's gift to the child went beyond the physical bird itself, instead becoming the emotional and spiritual power of the bird's song.

By the very first nightingale's song
The bird's song was so stunning that it felt as though it were the first and most perfect melody that had ever been sung by a nightingale.