Do You Hear What I Hear
Foreign Fields Lyrics
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do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
The song "Do You Hear What I Hear" is a Christmas carol written in October 1962 by Noel Regney with lyrics by his wife, Gloria Shayne Regney. The song was written as a call for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the song, a night wind asks a little lamb if it sees a star in the sky with a tail as big as a kite. The lamb then asks a shepherd boy if he hears a song high above the trees with a voice as big as the sea. The shepherd boy then asks a mighty king if he knows that a child shivers in the cold, and suggests that silver and gold be brought to the child. The king urges the people to pray for peace, as the child will bring goodness and light to the world.
The imagery in the lyrics is evocative and thought-provoking, inviting listeners to embrace a cosmic perspective and to ponder the significance of symbols like "the star," "the song," "the Child," and "goodness and light." The song uses questions and answers to convey a message of hope and compassion, and to encourage listeners to take action to improve the world around them. The ultimate message of the song is that there is a child who will bring peace and hope to the world, and that this child can be found in the most unlikely of places.
Line by Line Meaning
aid the night wind to the little lamb,
The night wind helps the little lamb and draws its attention to something
do you see what I see
The night wind wants to know if the little lamb can see the same thing as him/her
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
The object of interest is situated high up in the sky
A star, a star, dancing in the night
The object of interest is a shiny object moving rhythmically in the night sky
With a tail as big as a kite
The shiny object has a tail that is as large as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
The little lamb tells the shepherd boy what he/she saw in the sky
do you hear what I hear
The little lamb wants to know if the shepherd boy can hear what he/she just told him/her
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
The sound the little lamb heard is coming from the sky and is audible to the shepherd boy too
do you hear what I hear
The little lamb repeats his/her question to ensure that the shepherd boy is paying attention
A song, a song, high above the trees
The sound that the little lamb and the shepherd boy hear is a musical composition that is emanating from high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
The voice that is singing the song has a loud and magnificent tone like the sound of the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
The shepherd boy relates what he/she heard to the king in charge
do you know what I know
The shepherd boy wants to ascertain if the king is aware of the situation
In your palace warm, mighty king,
The mighty king resides in a warm and comfortable palace and is far away from the cold outside world
do you know what I know
The shepherd boy asks the king the same question again as the importance of the news needs to be ingrained
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
The object that everyone is talking about is actually a child who is shivering in the cold outside world
Let us bring Him silver and gold
The shepherd boy and the king want to provide comfort and warmth to the child by gifting precious items like silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere,
The king wants to spread the news and ensure that everyone hears him
listen to what I say
The king urges the people to listen carefully to him as he is about to give important news
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
The king asks for a universal prayer for peace among all the people in the world
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
The child in question is not dead but sleeping in the cold winter's night
He will bring us goodness and light
The child will bring them joy, happiness, and the light of hope in their lives
Writer(s): Noel Regney, Gloria Shayne
Contributed by Evelyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.