Do You Hear What I Hear?
Maria Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your place warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
About a child, a child shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
The lyrics of Maria Sullivan's "Do You Hear What I Hear?" tell a story of a journey by a few characters- the night wind, little lamb, shepherd boy, and the mighty king. The night wind is asking the little lamb if it sees a star in the sky with its tail resembling that of a kite. Later, the little lamb is asking the shepherd boy if he can hear a song above the trees with a voice as big as the sea. The shepherd boy then tells the mighty king about a child shivering in the cold and suggests they bring silver and gold for him. The lyrics portray a cyclical narrative that concludes with the revelation of the child that the characters were seeking.
The lyrics of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was originally written as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union. The original writer Noel Regney, along with his wife, Gloria Shayne, wrote the lyrics with hopes of creating a song that focused on the positive and peaceful perspective of Christmas. It's interesting to note that Regney had experienced the horrors of World War II, so the song's context came from a place of fear of what could happen if the two societies went to war.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
The singer notices something and asks the little lamb if it sees it too.
do you see what I see
Asking the little lamb if they can see what the singer is seeing.
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
The object being seen is located high in the sky.
A star, a star, dancing in the night
The object being seen is a star that is moving in a way that looks like dancing.
With a tail as big as a kite
The star has a very large tail that resembles the tail of a kite.
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
The little lamb notices something and asks the shepherd boy if they can hear it too.
do you hear what I hear
Asking the shepherd boy if they can hear what the little lamb is hearing.
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
The sound being heard is coming through the sky.
A song, a song, high above the trees
The sound being heard is a song that is located high up in the trees.
With a voice as big as the sea
The voice singing the song is very powerful and comparable to the vastness of the sea.
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
The shepherd boy acknowledges something and asks the mighty king if they are aware of it too.
do you know what I know
Asking the mighty king if they have knowledge of what the shepherd boy is talking about.
In your place warm, mighty king,
Despite being comfortable in his warm place, the mighty king is being informed of something important.
A child, a child shivers in the cold
A child is very cold and uncomfortable.
Let us bring him silver and gold
Suggesting a way to help the child by bringing valuable items like silver and gold.
Said the king to the people everywhere,
The king is making a statement to everyone who may hear him.
listen to what I say
Asking people to pay attention to what he has to say.
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
Encouraging people to pray for peace in the world.
The child, the child, sleeping in the night
Referring to the child previously mentioned as being asleep.
He will bring us goodness and light
The child is believed to bring goodness and light to the world.
Writer(s): GLORIA SHAYNE, NOEL REGNEY
Contributed by Allison E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marat Bakhtygerey
Keep going guys! By the way New book Ryan holiday September 29. Please INTERVIEW him