It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Mario Lanza;Henri René Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold

Peace on the earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the Angels sing

And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing

The first Noel the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay




In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep

Overall Meaning

The song "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" starts with describing the event that took place on a particular night. It was midnight, and there was a sudden appearance of a sound of music that carried a message of glory, peace, and love. It was believed to have come from angels playing the harps of gold near the earth's surface. Their act was an indication that peace could come to the earth if men willed it. The message from them was from the all-gracious King of Heaven, and the entire world was quiet in anticipation of hearing more from the angels. The event was a significant one that marked a memorable occurrence that took place at midnight.


In the second verse of the song, the singer affirms they can still hear the angels singing. It means that the impact of the event that took place that night still reverberates after many years. Furthermore, the third verse of the song is somewhat a continuation of the message from the angels. The first Noel was the message from the angel to the shepherds announcing the birth of Christ. The song explains the momentous nature of the occurrence, emphasizing the cold winter's night that the shepherds were laying in the field. Overall, the song "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" is a beautiful reminder of the momentous event that occurred in the past.


Line by Line Meaning

It came upon the midnight clear
During the clear midnight, something came to be seen


That glorious song of old
That beautiful and exceptional melody from long ago


From Angels playing near the earth
Angels playing in proximity to the earth


To touch their harps of gold
Playing their harps made from gold


Peace on the earth could will two men
World peace caused by just two people


From Heaven's all-gracious King
From a compassionate monarch ruling the heavens


The world in solemn stillness lay
The world was silent and peaceful


To hear the Angels sing
To listen to the singing of the Angels


And I hear them singing
I am listening to them singing


Sing, I do hear them singing
I am listening to them sing, indeed


The first Noel the Angel did say
The Angel said the initial Noel


Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
Addressed poor shepherds resting in fields


In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
They were watching their sheep in the fields


On a cold winter's night that was so deep
On a cold and profound winter night




Lyrics © IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: DAVID FINDLAY, N TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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