It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Mannheim Steamroller Lyrics
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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 heav'n's all-gracious King.
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing!
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long,
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring:
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!
Still thro' the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurl'd;
And still their heav'nly music floats
O'er all the weary world:
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hov'ring wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.
All ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look, now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hast'ning on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing!
The lyrics to Mannheim Steamroller's "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" describe the story of the angels' song that was heard on the night of Jesus' birth. The song speaks to the peace and goodwill that the angels brought to earth through their music, with the world stopping in solemn stillness to listen. However, despite the message of peace, humanity has been caught in a cycle of sin and strife that has lasted for two thousand years, with people at war with each other and unable to hear the angels' love song. The lyrics urge people to hush the noise of their disputes and hear the angels' message of peace.
The song presents an idealized vision of a world without strife, where peace reigns supreme and everyone can feel peaceful and content. It also offers a message of hope for those who are struggling or carrying a heavy burden, letting them know that brighter days are coming. This vision of a peaceful world is aligned with the Christian idea of the Second Coming of Christ, when he will establish his kingdom on earth, and is supported by the lyrics' references to the prophet bards who foretold this event.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear,
The glorious song of old descended from above during the peaceful midnight hour.
That glorious song of old,
The heavenly song of old holds great significance and beauty.
From angels bending near the earth,
Angels were close to the earth, and their song could be heard by the living below.
To touch their harps of gold:
Angels played beautiful music with their golden harps.
'Peace on the earth, good will to men,'
The message of the song was of peace and goodwill towards all people on Earth.
From heav'n's all-gracious King.
The King of heaven was the source of the gracious message of peace.
The world in solemn stillness lay,
The Earth was quiet and still, waiting to hear the heavenly song.
To hear the angels sing!
Everyone listened attentively to the beautiful song sung by the angels.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
Despite the sadness and conflict caused by sin and strife,
The world has suffered long,
The Earth has suffered for a long time.
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Despite the calming effect of the angels' music,
Two thousand years of wrong;
There has been terrible injustice and wrongdoing for the past two thousand years.
And man, at war with man, hears not
Sadly, humans at war with each other do not hear the message of peace.
The love song which they bring:
The song the angels bring is a message of love.
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
Those who are at war should quiet their fighting and listen to the angels' message.
And hear the angels sing!
They should take time to hear the beauty and message in the song of the angels.
Still thro' the cloven skies they come,
The angels still come down from heaven through the sky.
With peaceful wings unfurled;
Their wings are open in peace and they come to spread peaceful wings.
And still their heav'nly music floats
Their beautiful music still echoes across the Earth.
O'er all the weary world:
Their music covers the entire, weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains
Above the areas of sadness and poverty,
They bend on hov'ring wing,
The angels fly over the area with wings spread.
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
Above the noise and chaos of the world,
The blessed angels sing.
The angels continue to sing, bringing blessings to those who hear their song.
All ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Everyone who feels the weight of life's struggles,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who are physically and emotionally burdened,
Who toil along the climbing way
Those who struggle while moving forward,
With painful steps and slow,
Who move forward one step at a time, despite the pain,
Look, now! for glad and golden hours
They should look out for happy and wonderful moments.
Come swiftly on the wing:
These moments will come quickly and gracefully.
O rest beside the weary road,
Take a break from the journey to rest,
And hear the angels sing!
Take time to listen to the beautiful song of the angels.
For lo! the days are hast'ning on,
The days are coming quickly,
By prophet bards foretold,
As predicted by the wise poets of old,
When with the ever-circling years
When the years continue to go around and around,
Comes round the age of gold;
The golden age will reappear.
When peace shall over all the earth
At that time, there will be peace throughout the Earth,
Its ancient splendors fling,
The Earth will release its ancient glory.
And the whole world give back the song
The entire world will sing back the same song.
Which now the angels sing!
The same song that the angels sing now.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: RICHARD WILLIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind