Angels We Have Heard on High
Margaret Becker Steven Curtis Chapman Geoff Moore BeBe Winans and White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echo back their joyous strains
Gloria, Gloria
Shepherds, why this jubilee
Why your joyous strains prolong
Which inspire your heavenly song
Gloria, Gloria
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the new born King
Gloria, Gloria
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
We sing gloria
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
The song "Angels We Have Heard On High" starts by describing the scene of the shepherds hearing angels singing joyfully about the birth of Christ. The mountains echo back their chants of "Gloria," which means "Glory to God in the highest" in Latin. The shepherds are curious about the message and wonder what miraculous event could make the heavenly beings sing so joyfully. The chorus repeats the phrase "Gloria, in excelsis Deo" to praise the Lord and acknowledge his greatness.
The second verse of the song invites the listener to join the shepherds and come to Bethlehem to see the newborn King. The angels' song is about the birth of Christ, and the shepherds are inviting everyone to come and worship him on bended knee. The chorus repeats with more intensity and conviction, "Gloria, in excelsis Deo," to convey the powerful emotions of the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Angels we have heard on high
We have heard angels singing about the birth of Christ
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
The angels' song was sweet and could be heard throughout the plains
And the mountains in reply
Even the mountains echoed the joyous strains of the angels' singing
Echo back their joyous strains
The mountains echoed the angels' joyful song
Gloria, Gloria
We join the angels in praising God with the words 'Glory to God in the highest'
Shepherds, why this jubilee
Shepherds, why are you celebrating with such great joy?
Why your joyous strains prolong
Why do you continue to sing praises joyfully?
Say what may these tidings be
Please tell us the news that has inspired your heavenly song.
Which inspire your heavenly song
What is the inspiration behind your song?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
We keep praising God with the words 'Glory to God in the highest'
Come to Bethlehem and see
Come to Bethlehem and witness for yourself
Him whose birth the angels sing
The angels are singing about the birth of Christ
Come adore on bended knee
Come worship and show reverence on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the new born King
Christ is the Lord and the new King who has been born
We sing gloria
We continue to sing praises to God
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
We keep praising God with the words 'Glory to God in the highest'
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
We keep praising God with the words 'Glory to God in the highest'
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ARTHUR FERRANTE, LOUIS TEICHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind