It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
David Lanz Lyrics
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That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
Peace on the earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing
The first Noel the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
David Lanz's song "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" is a rendition of the original 19th century Christmas carol. The song begins with the image of angels playing their golden harps near the earth and singing the "glorious song of old" during the peaceful silence of the midnight hour. The angels' message is one of peace on earth, a gift from God's graciousness, that can unite humans from all walks of life. The singer of the song is able to hear this angelic singing and is moved by its beauty and glory.
The second stanza of the song references the Biblical story of the shepherds who were visited by an angel who announced "The first Noel" of Jesus Christ's birth. Even though the shepherds were poor and humble individuals, they were chosen to witness the miracle of Christ's arrival. The song emphasizes the contrast between the cold, quiet, and dark night and the celebration of light and hope brought by the angels' song and message.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear
The moment arrived at the stroke of midnight as a beautiful, calming song echoed through the air
That glorious song of old
The song was a magnificent piece of music that has been around for centuries
From Angels playing near the earth
Angels were close to the ground, making music with their instruments
To touch their harps of gold
The Angels were carefully strumming their golden harps as they played
Peace on the earth could will two men
By the grace of God, two people could come together and bring peace to the world
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The source of this peace was the benevolent King of Heaven
The world in solemn stillness lay
The entire world was perfectly still in this moment, full of reverence and peace
To hear the Angels sing
Every living thing was listening intently to the heavenly music of the Angels
And I hear them singing
The artist of the song can hear the Angels' song as well
Sing, I do hear them singing
The artist confirms that they can indeed hear the Angels' song
The first Noel the Angel did say
The initial announcement of the baby Jesus' birth was made by an Angel, and it was called 'The First Noel'
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The message was delivered to a group of shepherds who were resting in a field with their sheep
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
The shepherds were taking care of and watching over their flock in the fields
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
The weather was frigid and the night was especially dark and quiet
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEROY ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ecmcomichael1
Yes, I agree. The 80's and 90's seemed to me to be the best for this music genre. Don't know what's happened lately. One of the programs I listened to through the early 2000's, Echoes, seems to have gone rogue on me and they play too much "lounge" music and electronic and dance music and punk stuff that simply doesn't appeal much to me, seemingly leaving a lot of the acoustic music behind. They've left behind groups like Secret Garden, Nightnoise, the Windham Hill and Narada artists, and others like them. Too bad. Sirius radio is where I seem to find new artists that I like now.