Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brickman enrolled in the Cleveland Institute of Music taking courses in composition and performance, while taking business classes at Case Western Reserve University. His music career started when he was nineteen, when Jim Henson hired him to write tunes for Sesame Street. He was also hired to write commercial jingles while in college.
Brickman writes a wide variety of music. Besides his piano compositions and love songs, he has also created arrangements of other songs. Several of his albums feature arrangements of children's music; he has produced two Christmas-themed albums The Gift (1997) and Peace (2003); and his 2005 album Grace concentrates on arrangements of well-known Christian music.
Jim Brickman has also starred in the now-on-DVD PBS specials "My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman", "Love Songs & Lullabies" and "The Disney Songbook." In 2006, he sponsored his first Jim Brickman Valentine's Day Cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines which has become an annual event.
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Jim Brickman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold
Peace on the earth, goodwill 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 unfurl
And still their heavenly music floats, o'er all the weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing
Oh yeah, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low
Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow
Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing
Oh, rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing
For lo the days are hastening on, by prophets seen of old
When with the ever circling years shall come the time foretold
When the new heaven and earth shall own the prince of peace their king
And the whole world send back the song which now the angels sing
The first verse of Jim Brickman's rendition of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" is a direct reference to the story of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The phrase "glorious song of old" is a nod to the old carol that has been sung for generations about the angels announcing the birth of Jesus. The 'angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold' signifies the celestial beings who appear to the shepherds to announce the news of the birth of the Messiah, as described in the Bible. The lyrics also mention 'peace on earth and goodwill to men,' which is also a reference to the message of the angels.
The second verse of the song describes how the angels still come to the earth, particularly in times of sadness and despair, even though the story of Jesus' birth happened a long time ago. The phrase 'cloven skies' is used to signify that the divine still pays attention to the earthly realm of humans. The message is that despite the hardships of life, there is still beauty and goodness to be found in the world, as represented by the blessed music of the angels.
The third and final verse moves beyond the original story of Jesus's birth to a future prophesized in the Bible, where the prince of peace will reign over a new heaven and earth, and where the song of the angels will be returned to them by humanity in a gesture of universal harmony. The overall message of the song is one of hope, as it depicts a world where all of humanity works together in peaceful coexistence.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old
The beautiful song of old arrived at midnight, bringing glory
From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold
Angels were close to earth, playing their golden harps
Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, from heaven's all gracious king
God, the gracious king of heaven, brought peace and goodwill to the earth
The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing
The world was quiet and still, listening to the angels sing
Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurl
The angels continued to arrive through the parted skies, with peaceful wings
And still their heavenly music floats, o'er all the weary world.
Their beautiful music continued to drift over the tired world
Above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing
They lingered over the humble and sad places
And ever o'er its babel sounds the blessed angels sing
The angels' singing remained above the loud noise of the world
Oh yeah, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low
The people who are burdened with life's difficulties and hardships
Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow
Those who work hard to reach their goals, but with painful effort
Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing
Be hopeful for the joyful and positive times that are coming quickly
Oh, rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing
Take a break from the exhausting journey and listen to the angels' singing
For lo the days are hastening on, by prophets seen of old
The days are coming soon, as the prophets predicted
When with the ever circling years shall come the time foretold
The time that has been predicted for many years will eventually arrive
When the new heaven and earth shall own the prince of peace their king
The new heaven and earth will recognize the prince of peace as their ruling king
And the whole world send back the song which now the angels sing
The entire world will echo the song that the angels are singing now
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: NUNLEY, TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carl Beaupré
The most beautiful piano version ever heard! I love it so much! Thank you Jim! (excuse my english)
MBR
It came upon a Midnight Clear..it be a ..Glorious song of old.....and Blessed the Angels sing.. Still can hear from my memory choir singing this ..Hymn.
mikamibaird
This song is beautiful
I'm barely hear that in this year