Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Manchester Cathedral Choir Lyrics
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And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood:
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluya, Alleluya,
Alleluya, Lord most high!
The lyrics to Manchester Cathedral Choir's song, Let all mortal flesh keep silence, urge us to approach the presence of Christ with fear and trembling, reflecting on nothing earthly-minded. The song speaks of Christ's descent to earth, in human vesture, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, demanding our full homage. It speaks of Christ as the giver of heavenly food to all the faithful, of his powers to vanish the powers of hell, and the heavenly hosts of angels singing Alleluia, Lord most high.
This song invites us to take part in a meditative and reflective space that acknowledges the astonishing mystery and grandeur of Christ's presence. The song asserts that the presence of Christ is so powerful that it demands our full attention, even our fear and trembling. We cannot approach the presence of Christ lightly or casually. The song's lyrics communicate that Christ is both divine and human and that through him, we will receive heavenly food. The song speaks of the angels' awe as they cry "Alleluia, Lord most high," recognizing that Christ is the Light of Light who clears the darkness away.
Line by Line Meaning
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
All of humanity should be reverent and quiet in the presence of Christ our God.
And with fear and trembling stand;
We should stand humbly and with great respect before Christ, fearful of his power and glory.
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
We should not think of earthly things, but instead focus on spiritual matters and the divine presence of Christ.
For with blessing in his hand
Christ comes to us with gifts of grace and blessings.
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Christ, the God of all, came down to earth to be with us.
Our full homage to demand.
Christ deserves our complete devotion and worship.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
Although Christ is the King of all, he was born to a humble mother, Mary.
As of old on earth he stood,
Christ stood on earth before, just as he stands before us now.
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
Christ is the ruler of all rulers, yet he came to earth in human form.
In the body and the blood:
Christ offers himself to us in the form of his body and blood, through the sacrament of Communion.
He will give to all the faithful
Christ promises to give himself to all who believe in him and follow him.
His own self for heavenly food.
We can partake of Christ's divine presence in the sacrament of Communion, which nourishes our souls for eternal life.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
There are countless heavenly beings, like angels and saints, that follow Christ.
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
They come before him to prepare the way and to welcome his coming.
As the Light of light descendeth
Christ, who is the light of the world, comes down from heaven to be with us.
From the realms of endless day,
He comes from a place of eternal joy and happiness.
That the powers of hell may vanish
Christ's coming has the power to banish evil and darkness from the world.
As the darkness clears away.
With his light, Christ can dispel the darkness of sin and death.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Even the most exalted of heavenly beings, like the seraphim, bow down before Christ.
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
The cherubim, who guard the throne of God, keep watch as Christ comes.
Veil their faces to the Presence,
These holy beings are so awed by the presence of Christ that they cannot bear to look upon him directly.
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
The heavenly beings constantly sing praises to Christ.
Alleluya, Alleluya,
They proclaim Christ's glory with the repeated cry of 'Alleluia'.
Alleluya, Lord most high!
Christ is the most high lord, worthy of all praise and worship.
Writer(s): Edward C. Bairstow
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.