It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
King's Choir Lyrics

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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 this beloved carol describes the setting and occasion of the moment in which Angels announced the birth of Jesus to the earth. This occurred at midnight, and the song uses vivid language to convey the beauty and grandeur of the scene- Angels playing their harps of gold. The message they carried was one of peace on earth, a message from the gracious King of Heaven. The reference to the world being in solemn stillness is a metaphor for the receptive state of the earth at the time of Jesus's birth- all was waiting in anticipation for the arrival of the Savior. The final line, "To hear the Angels sing", serves as both a reminder of the event being celebrated and an invitation to join in with the joyous sound of the singing Angels.

Line by Line Meaning

It came upon the midnight clear
The song began during the peaceful midnight hour

That glorious song of old
A joyful and remarkable tune from long ago

From Angels playing near the earth
Angels were present, making music close to the ground

To touch their harps of gold
The Angels played their golden harps with delight

Peace on the earth could will two men
The peaceful song had the power to calm and comfort any two people

From Heaven's all-gracious King
The generous King of Heaven sent this gift of peace

The world in solemn stillness lay
Everything on earth was hushed in respectful silence

To hear the Angels sing
People listened intently to the Angelic voices

And I hear them singing
The singer hears the Angelic voices still singing to this day

Sing, I do hear them singing
The singer hears the Angels singing, and it fills them with peace and joy

The first Noel the Angel did say
The Angel began the song by proclaiming the first Christmas

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The message was delivered to humble shepherds, resting in their fields

In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
The shepherds were watching over their flocks

On a cold winter's night that was so deep
The night was bitterly cold, with a deep darkness all around

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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