Moen produced 11 volumes for the Hosanna! Music series of worship albums. His first album under his own name, Worship with Don Moen, was released in 1992. His music has total global sales of over five million units. He worked for Integrity Media for over 20 years, serving as creative director and president of Integrity Music, president of Integrity Label Group, and an executive producer of Integrity Music albums. He left Integrity Media in 2008 to start a new initiative, The Don Moen Company. Moen received a Dove Award for his work on the musical God with Us in addition to amassing nine nominations for his songs. Moen is also a prolific songwriter, having worked with Claire Cloninger, Paul Overstreet, Martin J. Nystrom, Randy Rothwell, Ron Kenoly, Bob Fitts, Debbye Graafsma, Paul Baloche, Tom Brooks, among many others. He has also worked with talented musicians, Justo Almario, Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna, and Carl Albrecht. His name is associated with some of the most well-known songs in Contemporary Christian Music. He was a student at Oral Roberts University. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife Laura and their five children.
Moen's first album for Hosanna! Music, Give Thanks, became the label's bestseller. He followed this with a number of successful albums of his own including two, En Tú Presencia and Trono De Gracia, in Spanish. On an Asian tour in 1999 he recorded The Mercy Seat at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and Heal Our Land at Yoido Park in South Korea, which was released in 2000. One of Moen's albums, I Will Sing, was recorded at Christian Broadcasting Network.
God Will Make a Way - The Best of Don Moen was released in 2003 and features 19 greatest hits. The title song was written for his wife's sister and her husband, who lost their oldest son in an auto accident while three other children were seriously injured. Moen's most recent album, Hiding Place, became his first studio album which was recorded at Paragon Studios in Franklin, Tennessee and was released in the autumn of 2006. His new upcoming album, I Believe There Is More, will release on fall 2008 and will be his final album from Integrity Music.
Angels We Have Heard on High
Don Moen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singing sweetly through the night,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their brave delight.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tiding did you hear?
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord, the new-born King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
See him in a manger laid
Whom the angels praise above;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While we raise our hearts in love.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
The song, Angels We Have Heard on High, starts with the description of the traditional story of the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ to the shepherds by the angels, which is found in the Gospel of Luke. The song describes the sweet singing of the angels in the night, and the mountains responding with their echoes of joy. The chorus of the hymn, Gloria in Excelsis Deo, translates into "Glory to God in the Highest" in Latin, a phrase used to herald the birth of Jesus Christ.
In the second verse, the shepherds are questioned about the reasons for their jubilation and the songs of happy cheer. They are asked about the great brightness they have seen and the glad tidings they have heard. The songwriters are making a reference to the appearance of the angels to the shepherds with the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ.
The third verse encourages the listener to come to Bethlehem and witness the birth of Christ, the Lord, and to adore Him on bended knee. The last verse mentions the manger where Jesus was laid, and invites Mary and Joseph to join in the celebration of the love for the new-born King, while the angelic hosts keep on singing "Gloria in Excelsis Deo."
Line by Line Meaning
Angels we have heard on high
We have heard angels singing in high voices
Singing sweetly through the night
They were singing in a pleasant manner all through the night
And the mountains in reply
The mountains were echoing back and responding to their joyful expressions
Echoing their brave delight
The mountains were reflecting back their brave and happy attitudes
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
This means “glory in the highest to God”
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Shepherds, why are you celebrating so joyfully?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
Why are you singing these happy songs?
What great brightness did you see?
What amazing brightness did you witness?
What glad tiding did you hear?
What good news did you hear?
Come to Bethlehem and see
Come to Bethlehem and witness firsthand
Him whose birth the angels sing;
The one that angels are singing about, whose birth we celebrate
Come, adore on bended knee
Come and bow before him in worship
Christ, the Lord, the new-born King.
Christ, the Lord, who was born to be the King
See him in a manger laid
See him who was born lying in a manger
Whom the angels praise above
Whom the angels are praising above all else
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
Mary and Joseph, help out or assist in raising him
While we raise our hearts in love.
As we lift up our hearts in love for him
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
This means “glory in the highest to God”
Contributed by Lily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.