It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Jon Schmidt Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold

Peace on the earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the Angels sing

And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing

The first Noel the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay




In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Jon Schmidt's "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" speaks of a beautiful and "glorious" song that was heard in the night - the song that the angels played on their "harps of gold." The song was played near the earth, and its message was one of peace. The second line of the first verse speaks of the angels' desire to touch their harps of gold, which adds to the heavenly and pure nature of the song. The third line talks about the message of peace that the song carried and how it could "well two men" from heaven's gracious king. The final line of the verse says that the world became "solemnly still" to listen to the angels sing their song of peace.


In the chorus, Jon Schmidt sings about how he personally hears the angels singing their song. The repetition of the line "Sing, I do hear them singing" emphasizes the impact that the song had on the listeners and how it has become a part of them.


The second verse of the song speaks of the first Noel that was brought by an angel to poor shepherds who were watching their sheep. The imagery of the shepherds out in the fields on a cold winter's night creates a stark contrast between the earthly and heavenly realms. The message of the angels' song is one of peace on earth, and the fact that it was delivered to humble shepherds reinforces the idea that peace is available to everyone, regardless of their station in life.


Line by Line Meaning

It came upon the midnight clear
The song began in the stillness of the midnight hour


That glorious song of old
It was a historic and magnificent song


From Angels playing near the earth
Musical Angels appeared near the earth


To touch their harps of gold
They played their precious golden harps


Peace on the earth could will two men
The peace on earth was the desire of all people, everywhere


From Heaven's all-gracious King
The King of Heaven whose grace was never-ending


The world in solemn stillness lay
The world was quiet and still in a solemn moment


To hear the Angels sing
People listened to the Angels singing with great intention


And I hear them singing
The singer hears the Angels singing


Sing, I do hear them singing
Indeed, he hears the Angels singing


The first Noel the Angel did say
The Angel announced the first Noel


Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The Noel was first announced to poor shepherds while they were resting in a field


In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
They were tending their sheep in the fields at night


On a cold winter's night that was so deep
It was during a dark and frigid winter night




Lyrics © DistroKid, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edmund Hamilton Sears, Richard Storrs Willis

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@tonybarde2572

It came upon the midnight clear,
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.

But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring; –
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!

And ye, 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 prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When Peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.



@marymagmartha7453

Christmas🎄Trees & Twinkling lights.
Homemade Cookies & Cocoa for the Grandkids❣️
Miracle on 34th Street & Christmas Carol.
In our Hearts Peace🕊️ and Good Will to all Mankind and
The Piano Guys & their Music
(New and Vintage)

All this, and God is Still on His
Thone✝️and Jesus Saves.



All comments from YouTube:

@workingmothercatlover6699

WOW. I discovered this video one minute after it went up.
I do miss when you guys did music videos.

@kcrescendo

I know, right??

@straight-up-shots

Same

@davidobrien4523

Same here. I miss your interactions

@tonybarde2572

It came upon the midnight clear,
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.

But with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring; –
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!

And ye, 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 prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When Peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

@maracassandra.romanie.3692

Bella melodía, bendiciones a quien lea este mensaje y mucha salud y paz

@skyz3160

To you, also !

@craigandcaroledudley599

Blessings back to you. Thank you.

@conniewaterman1673

Thank you! And blessings to you too.❤🙏

@blucat4

Soft and beautiful but not predictable or corny, this is another great one for this Christmas, thank you. 🙂

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