"I sing God's music because it makes me feel free," Jackson once said about her choice of gospel, adding, "It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues."
Jackson grew up in the "Black Pearl" section of the Carrollton neighbourhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, and began singing in a Baptist church. In 1927 she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she sang with The Johnson Brothers, one of the earliest professional gospel groups.
The Johnson Brothers broke up in the mid-1930s, and Jackson began her solo career, recording for Decca in 1937. The result, "God's Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares", was only a moderate success, but Jackson became a popular concert draw. She didn't record again untill 1946, when she signed with Apollo Records, releasing several singles that are now highly regarded, though sales were sluggish at the time. "Move On up a Little Higher" (1948) became a huge success, however, and stores could not stock enough of it to meet demand. Jackson rocketed to fame in the U.S. and soon afterwards in Europe. "I Can Put My Trust in Jesus" won a prize from the French Academy, and "Silent Night" was one of the best-selling singles in the history of Norway. She began a radio series on CBS and signed to Columbia Records in 1954. With her mainstream success came an inevitable backlash from gospel purists who felt she had watered down her sound for popular accessibility.
Jackson's career in the late 1950s and early 1960s continued to rise when she recorded with Percy Faith, and performed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. She also sang at the funeral of her friend Martin Luther King, Jr. The late 1960s saw a downturn in her popular success. She ended her career with a concert in Germany in 1971; when she returned, she made one of her final television appearances on The Flip Wilson Show.
Jackson died in Chicago on 27th January 1972 of heart failure and diabetes at the age of sixty. She was buried in Providence Memorial Park in Metairie, Louisiana. She was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1978.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Mahalia Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above
While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love
Oh morning stars together, proclaim thy holy birth.
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
The song "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a beautiful and moving Christmas carol that captures the essence and importance of the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem. The first verse of the carol begins with a picturesque description of the town, highlighting its quietness as the stars shine in the darkness above. However, even in the midst of this stillness, the town is imbued with a sense of light—the "everlasting light," which is a reference to Jesus, the "light of the world". Thus, the town becomes the symbol of the hope and fears of all the years that are fulfilled with the birth of Jesus.
The second verse of the song speaks of the miraculous birth of Jesus, born of Mary in a manger in Bethlehem. Here, the song invites us to visualize the image of angels watching over the newborn Jesus as the morning stars sing praises to God. The verse aptly captures the divine nature of Christ's birth and how it brought hope and peace to humanity.
Overall, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a beautiful tribute to the significance of Bethlehem in Christianity and the miracle of Christ's birth. The song encourages us today to contemplate the deeper meaning of the holiday season and reminds us that hope and peace can be found even in the stillness and darkness of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
The tiny town of Bethlehem appears peaceful and quiet at this time
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
The stars shine silently above the town, as it continues to remain in a deep slumber
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
Despite the darkness in the streets, there is a bright and eternal light shining in Bethlehem
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
This very night, Bethlehem is the place where people's dreams and worries from ages past have converged
For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above
The Savior, Jesus Christ, has been born to Mother Mary, and all heavenly beings have come to witness this incredible event
While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love
As we humans sleep, angels watch over us with amazement and love
Oh morning stars together, proclaim thy holy birth.
All the stars in the sky declare the holiness of Christ's birth
And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth.
We sing praises to God who is the King and ask for peace on earth for all men
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Once again, we observe the quietness of Bethlehem, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
And the stars continue to shine above the slumbering town
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
But the everlasting light continues to shine brightly in spite of the darkness
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
Once again, the convergence of hopes and worries from long ago is brought to light, as this night is one of great importance
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Lewis H Redner, Phillip Brooks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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