Away In a Manger
Faith and Harmony Choir Lyrics
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No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down His sweet head
The stars in the sky
Look down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side
'Til morning is nigh
Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me, I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to Heaven
To live with Thee there
The song "Away in a Manger" by Faith and Harmony Choir, as the title suggests, describes the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger. The first two lines of the song explain how there was no crib available, and how Jesus had to lay down in a manger, which was, in fact, a feeding trough for animals. It goes on to say that although Jesus was royalty, he was born in poor and humble circumstances, and had to sleep in hay. The stars in the sky are said to have shined down where he lay, signifying that his birth was a significant event.
In the second stanza, the song talks about how the cattle were lowing, which means mooing or making a sound, and that the poor baby was woken up. However, it is mentioned that the little Lord Jesus didn't cry, which indicates his composure even as a newborn. The third stanza is a prayer addressed to Jesus, with the singer expressing their love for him and asking for his presence until morning. The fourth stanza pleads for Jesus to stay close forever and to love the singer.
The song ends with a blessing for all the little children, requesting Jesus to protect them and take them to heaven to live with him there. Overall, "Away in a Manger" is a beautiful and peaceful song that captures the simplicity of Jesus's birth and the extraordinary love he has for humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger
The Lord Jesus was born in a simple place as there was no proper crib for Him.
No crib for His bed
There was no comfortable bed for the Lord Jesus to lay in as it was a humble place.
The little Lord Jesus
Jesus Christ was born as a small and vulnerable infant.
Lay down His sweet head
The Lord Jesus rested His head in the simplicity of His birthplace.
The stars in the sky
The heavenly lights looked upon the birth of the Lord Jesus.
Look down where He lay
The stars cast their light upon the infant Jesus.
The little Lord Jesus
Jesus Christ was born as a small and vulnerable infant.
Asleep on the hay
Jesus Christ was resting on some humble hay in His birthplace.
The cattle are lowing
The cattle were making noise and perhaps keeping the Lord Jesus awake.
The poor Baby wakes
The infant Jesus is stirred by the noise of the nearby cattle.
But little Lord Jesus
Despite being stirred by the noise, the Lord Jesus did not cry.
No crying He makes
The Lord Jesus was a peaceful and calm baby despite being in a humble environment.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
The singer expresses their love for the Lord Jesus.
Look down from the sky
The singer asks the Lord Jesus to look upon them from heaven.
And stay by my side
The singer asks the Lord Jesus to remain near them.
'Til morning is nigh
The singer asks the Lord Jesus to remain with them until the morning comes.
Be near me, Lord Jesus
The singer asks the Lord Jesus to be close to them.
I ask Thee to stay
The singer requests the Lord Jesus to remain with them.
Close by me forever
The singer wishes for the Lord Jesus to remain close to them forever.
And love me, I pray
The singer prays that the Lord Jesus will love them and keep them close.
Bless all the dear children
The singer asks for the Lord Jesus to bless all the children who are dear to them.
In Thy tender care
The singer asks that the Lord Jesus tenderly care for all the children.
And take us to Heaven
The singer asks that the Lord Jesus guide them to heaven.
To live with Thee there
The singer prays to live in heaven together with the Lord Jesus.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Ramsey Murray
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
chhmar
Greatest joy i had as a father was to hear my 4 year old baby girl sing this carol to herself. Jesus, please love and keep my daughter as your servant for your glory.
Fjolner I
Now you're uploading all the good old carols.. enjoying thoroughly, thank you.
jamie426 Esgate
makes me very emotional the lord I love you forever
24Revelation
So beautiful! God Bless!
Richard Ward
Very nice arrangement!
Dri Adkins
Wonderful! :}
Timothy Christian
best version of this song i've ever heard
OSCAR D
¡Hermoso! These videos must have more views.
Aemilia Carol PhoneTube
Beautiful
David Ramsey
This tune is CRADLE SONG, which predominates with these lyrics in the British Commonwealth. It was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1887. Americans customarily use a tune known as AWAY IN A MANGER, composed by James R. Murray, also in 1887. Although legendarily attributed to Martin Luther, the lyrics are indeed anonymous, possibly arising as late as the early 19th century. The tunes are of about equal difficulty. The range of CRADLE SONG is >1 octave by just one note. The AWAY IN A MANGER tune has a range of exactly 1 octave but notoriously requires that it start at a high enough pitch (high C) to accommodate the low C to which it later descends. Both tunes are in waltz time (3/4) in keeping with the anapestic meter of the lyrics.