It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Frank Sinatra Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That glorious song of old
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all gracious king"
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing
For lo, the days are hastening on
By prophet bards foretold
When with the ever-circling years
Comes 'round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
It's ancient splendors fling
And our whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing
The song "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The first verse draws a picture of the miraculous moment when the angels appeared in the night sky above Bethlehem. The angels' song declared, "peace on Earth, good will to men," which means that they brought a message of hope and promise for humanity, proclaiming the arrival of the savior of the world. The world, which was dormant, fell into solemn stillness, and everyone listened to the celestial choir that sang of peace and joy.
The second verse of the song speaks of the appearance of the angels, who continue to spread their message of love and grace. The angels' wings are open, emblematic of their peaceful mission. Their heavenly music was still flowing towards the world, bringing joy and happiness to people. They bend their wings over the world's lowly plains, where people are in desperate need of inspiration and guidance. Even amidst the noisy cries of the world, the blessed angels continuously sing the story of peace.
The final verse speaks of the coming of the age of gold, a "time of peace on Earth" when humanity will embrace the message of the angels and realize its ancient splendors. The world will give back to the angels' song of peace, which brings light and hope to the hearts of men. The song of the angels will continue to reverberate over the world, inspiring all of humanity to hope, and love.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon a midnight clear
This event happened during a clear and peaceful midnight
That glorious song of old
The angels sang a beautiful and well-known song
From angels bending near the earth
The angels came down to earth and were very close
To touch their harps of gold
They played their harps made of gold
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all gracious king"
The angels proclaimed that there would be peace and good will towards all people from God
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing
The world was quiet and still so that people could hear the angels singing
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled
The angels continue to descend from the split skies with calm wings
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world
Their music still spreads over the entire world
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing
They fly over the world's depressing and humble places with wings outstretched
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing
They continue to sing above the chaos and confusion of the world
For lo, the days are hastening on
By prophet bards foretold
The future is approaching and has been predicted by wise poets
When with the ever-circling years
Comes 'round the age of gold
There will be a time of great prosperity and happiness that will repeat itself every year
When peace shall over all the earth
It's ancient splendors fling
During this time, peace will cover the entire world and the beauty of the past will be restored
And our whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing
The whole world will sing the same song that the angels are singing right now
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edmund Hamilton Sears, Richard Storrs Willis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind