Good King Wenceslas
Mannheim Steamroller Lyrics
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On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel
"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."
In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing
The lyrics to Mannheim Steamroller's song Good King Wenceslas are a retelling of the story of King Wenceslas, a 10th-century Bohemian ruler who was known for his generosity towards the poor. The song opens on the feast of Stephen, which is observed the day after Christmas, and finds the king looking out into the snow-covered landscape. Despite the cruelty of the frost, the moon shines brightly, illuminating the world around him. It's at this point that a poor man comes into view, gathering winter fuel to stay warm.
Moved by compassion, King Wenceslas summons his page and asks him to identify the man and where he comes from. The page informs him that the man lives a league away, beneath the mountain by Saint Agnes' fountain. The king then asks for flesh, wine, and pine logs to be brought to him so that he and the page can bring the poor man to dine with them. Together, they brave the bitter winter weather to find the man in need.
As they journey, the page expresses his concern about the dark night and the strong wind, but the king reassures him to follow in his footsteps and boldly march forth. They finally reach the poor man, and as they approach him, King Wenceslas is struck by a warming sensation that seems to radiate from the very earth on which they tread. This, the lyrics suggest, is a sign from Saint Agnes, indicating that their act of kindness has been blessed. In the final verse, the song urges Christian men to continue the king's legacy of generosity and bless the poor themselves, sure in the knowledge that they will find blessings in return.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
King Wenceslas looked out the window of his castle
On the feast of Stephen
It was the day after Christmas, which used to be celebrated as the feast of St. Stephen
When the snow lay round about
The ground was covered with snow
Deep and crisp and even
The snow was thick, crunchy and spread evenly
Brightly shone the moon that night
The moon was full and bright
Though the frost was cruel
It was very cold outside
When a poor man came in sight
King Wenceslas spotted a poor man gathering wood in the snow
Gath'ring winter fuel
The poor man was collecting wood to burn for warmth
Hither, page, and stand by me
King Wenceslas summoned his page to come by his side
If thou know'st it, telling
The King asked the page if he knew anything about the poor man
Yonder peasant, who is he?
King Wenceslas was curious about the identity of the poor man gathering wood
Where and what his dwelling?
The King asked where the man lived and what his situation was
Sire, he lives a good league hence
The page informed the King that the man lived far away
Underneath the mountain
The man's house was located at the base of a mountain
Right against the forest fence
His house was situated close to the forest
By Saint Agnes' fountain.
The man's house was near a fountain named after Saint Agnes
Bring me flesh and bring me wine
King Wenceslas asked his page to bring food and drink
Bring me pine logs hither
He also requested some wood to be brought to them
Thou and I will see him dine
The King and the page planned to share a meal with the poor man
When we bear him thither.
They were going to take the food and wood to the poor man's house
Page and monarch forth they went
The King and his page set out to find the poor man
Forth they went together
They went together as companions and allies
Through the rude wind's wild lament
They braved the harsh winter winds and weather
And the bitter weather
The weather was extremely cold and unpleasant
Sire, the night is darker now
The page observed that it was getting late and very dark
And the wind blows stronger
The wind was picking up and growing stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
The page was starting to feel nervous and unsure
I can go no longer.
The page felt he could no longer continue due to the harsh conditions
Mark my footsteps, my good page
The King instructed the page to follow in his footsteps
Tread thou in them boldly
The King encouraged the page to be brave and confident
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
The King promised that by following in his footsteps, the page would be able to withstand the harsh winter weather
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
The page would not feel the cold as acutely if he followed in the King's footsteps
In his master's steps he trod
The page walked in King Wenceslas's footsteps
Where the snow lay dinted
The page could see the footprints that the King had left in the snow
Heat was in the very sod
The ground underneath them was warm
Which the Saint had printed
King Wenceslas's footsteps were so warm that they left an impression in the ground
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
The song ends with a message to all people of Christian faith
Wealth or rank possessing
Regardless of social status or income level
Ye who now will bless the poor
Those who are willing to show kindness to the less fortunate
Shall yourselves find blessing
Will in turn be blessed themselves
Contributed by Isaac N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@BedfordEAS
Without a doubt my favorite version of this song
@daimhingraves2403
Since I was a young kid, hands down one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs on (in my opinion) one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time
@d.a.1230
Been a fan of Mannheim Steamroller since I first heard them on disc growing up in the 1990's. The music is elegant and timeless and all of their music is memorable and worth listening to time and again.
@xxundeadgoddessxx
This played on the weather channel once around christmas time and it was freaking awesome.
@FAZWORTH421
“Now for your local forecast....accurate and dependable.”
@yahuchanonyakov
I remember that! Christmas of 1987...that is how and where I got introduced to this version of the song...I had just started learning how to play the drums at age 16, and so naturally I thought drumbeats like the one featured in this song were so cool....
@didadee5069
Even in May I'm jamming to this song. Lol I geek out at Christmas!!
@dvferyance
It's a cool tune so it works well during the holiday season.
@tabithasavella5120
@@didadee5069 I'm listening to it at the end of March 2023, people why wait, Christmas is not one day a year but every 365 days a year, so let's kick it, and start listening, let's goooooo
@BigDaddy_MRI
One of Mannheim Steamroller’s best. Play it loud on a good stereo that can handle it. Awesome.