Away In a Manger
Mindy Smith (Holiday) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there
The song Away in a Manger is a classic Christmas carol that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The song's first stanza speaks of the humble and rustic setting where Jesus was born, with no crib for him to lay, except the soft and sweet hay. The second stanza shifts the focus to the heavens above, with stars looking down from the bright sky where the Baby lay. The third stanza describes the presence of cattle close by, with their lowing creating some sound that awakens the Baby, but instead of crying, he remains peaceful and calm.
The next two lines of the fourth stanza express an emotional connection between the singer and Jesus as he asks the Lord to stay with him until the morning light. The fifth stanza further extends the appeal, with the singer asking for Jesus to remain close forever and to love him always. The last stanza closes with a universal plea for the Lord to bless and watch over all children in his tender care and to take them to heaven to live with Him.
Overall, the song portrays the humbleness of Jesus' birth, his peaceful demeanor, and the emotional relationship between the singer and Jesus.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger,
The baby Jesus was laid down to sleep in a manger.
No crib for His bed
There was no proper bed for the baby Jesus.
The little Lord Jesus
Refers to the baby Jesus.
Laid down His sweet head
The baby Jesus fell asleep with his head resting.
The stars in the bright sky
The stars in the sky were shining brightly.
Looked down where He lay
The stars were shining down on the baby Jesus.
The little Lord Jesus
Refers again to the baby Jesus.
Asleep on the hay
The baby Jesus was sleeping on a bed of hay.
The cattle are lowing
The cows were making noises.
The poor Baby wakes
The baby Jesus woke up.
But little Lord Jesus
The baby Jesus remained calm.
No crying He makes
The baby Jesus did not cry.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
The singer loves Jesus.
Look down from the sky
The singer asks Jesus to look down from heaven.
And stay by my side,
The singer asks Jesus to stay with her.
'Til morning is nigh.
The singer asks Jesus to stay until morning.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
The singer asks Jesus to be close to her.
I ask Thee to stay
The singer asks Jesus to stay near her.
Close by me forever
The singer asks Jesus to always be near her.
And love me I pray
The singer asks Jesus to love her.
Bless all the dear children
The singer asks Jesus to bless all the children.
In Thy tender care
The singer asks Jesus to protect and care for the children.
And take us to heaven
The singer asks Jesus to take the children to heaven.
To live with Thee there
The singer asks Jesus to let the children live with Him in heaven.
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