It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Kingdom Mass Choir Lyrics

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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.

For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet seen unfold,
When with ever circling years
Shall come the time unfold
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.

"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.

Overall Meaning

In Kingdom Mass Choir's classic hymn, "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear," the lyrics describe the moment when the angels announced the birth of Christ, singing out "Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all gracious King." The peaceful and mystical image of angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold is incredibly vivid and evocative. In this moment, the entire world is wrapped in solemn stillness to hear the celestial voices.

The song then shifts to the idea of the future, where the days are hastening on and the heavens and earth will be owned by the Prince of Peace. The hymn speaks to the idea that one day, the entire world will join in singing with the angels, echoing the same message of peace and goodwill. The song is ultimately a call for harmony, unity and love among all people, and a reminder that this message has been present in our world from its very beginning.

Line by Line Meaning

It came upon the midnight clear,
The beautiful song from ages past arrived in the peaceful night.

That glorious song of old,
That magnificent song from the ancient times.

From angels bending near the earth,
Angels came near the earth, inclining towards it.

To touch their harps of gold:
Playing their golden harps.

"Peace on the earth, good will to men,
The gracious King of heaven grants peace and goodwill to mankind,

From heaven's all-gracious King."
as bestowed by the kind ruler of heaven.

The world in solemn stillness lay,
The whole world lay in serious silence.

To hear the angels sing.
waiting to hear the angels' beautiful singing.

For lo! the days are hastening on,
For the days are quickly approaching,

By prophet seen unfold,
As witnessed by the seers,

When with ever-circling years
When the round years go by,