Do You Hear What I Hear?
Jimmy O'Crady Lyrics

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Said the night wind to the little lamb
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

Said the little lamb to the Shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky Shepard 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 Shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall 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
He will bring us goodness and light

Overall Meaning

The song "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Jimmy O'Crady is a narrative that tells the story of a night wind and a little lamb conversing about a star that they saw in the sky. As the night wind asks the lamb if it sees the star, he describes it as "dancing in the night with a tail as big as a kite." The lamb then asks the shepherd boy if he hears the song that's ringing through the night sky. The shepherd boy confirms and describes the song as having a voice as big as the sea.

The next scene shows the shepherd boy approaching the mighty king and asking if he knows what he knows. The king is asked if he knows a child who shivers in the cold, and the shepherd boy proposes that they bring him silver and gold. In the last verse, the king speaks to the people, telling them to pray for peace and listen to what he says. He describes the child as sleeping in the night and bringing goodness and light to the world.

The song's narrative tells an inspiring story of a divine and magical child who brings light to the darkness. The lyrics "Let us bring him silver and gold" could be interpreted as an offering from the three wise men to the baby Jesus. The song encourages people to pray for peace and to listen to the words of the wise king, who prophesies the coming of a child who would bring light to the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Said the night wind to the little lamb
The wind speaks to the lamb

Do you see what I see
Asks the lamb to see the same thing

Way up in the sky little lamb
The thing is high up in the sky

A star, a star
It's a star

Dancing in the night
It appears to be moving

With a tail as big as a kite
It has a long tail

Said the little lamb to the Shepard boy
The lamb tells the boy what it saw

Do you hear what I hear
Asks the boy to hear the same thing

Ringing through the sky Shepard boy
The sound comes from the sky

A song, a song
It's a song

High above the trees
It's high up in the sky