The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is made up of some 360 men and women, all of whom are volunteers. There are many husband-wife combinations and many families have participated in the choir for generations. Choir members are currently limited to twenty years of participation, allowing new members to join the choir on a regular basis.
The choir was founded in August 1847, one month after the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. The choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support their organization. Choir members are not paid for their participation or performances.
Although the choir has traditionally been recognized for its sound quality, the most recent director, Craig Jessop, a student of Robert Shaw, has made changes designed to improve the overall quality of the choir. Jessop's efforts to add vitality to the choir's sound include the formation of The Orchestra at Temple Square, the 2005 addition of The Bells on Temple Square (a hand bell choir), and continual refinement of the choir's tone, enunciation, and repetoire. The minimum age for participation has been reduced from 30 to 25. In addition, new choir members participate in The Temple Square Chorale training choir, a combination music theory/performance school led by associate director and composer/arranger Mack Wilberg.
Away In A Manger
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
The stars in the heavens looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
Asleep, (Asleep,) asleep, (asleep,)
Asleep, the Savior in a stall!
Asleep, (Asleep,) asleep, (asleep,)
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 cradle till 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 fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
The song "Away in a Manger" is a classic Christmas carol that was originally published in the late 19th century. The lyrics explore the birth of Jesus Christ and the humble circumstances in which he was born. The first stanza begins by describing the manger where Jesus laid down his head, as there was no room for him in a crib. The second stanza emphasizes the peacefulness of the scene, with stars looking down on the newborn babe as he slept on a bed of hay.
The third stanza introduces the idea of the cattle present at Jesus' birth, as they lowed or mooed in the background. The fourth stanza expresses love for the Lord Jesus and requests his presence to stay close by the cradle through the night. The fifth and final stanza turns the focus to the listener and all the dear children under the Lord's tender care. The song ends with a prayer that God will guide and prepare all for eternal life in Heaven.
The lyrics of "Away in a Manger" are simple and poetic, conveying a sense of wonder and reverence for the miracle of Jesus' birth. The lullaby-like melody adds to the gentle atmosphere of the song, making it a favorite for both children and adults during the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,
The Lord Jesus is born in a humble manger without the customary comforts of a baby's crib.
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
The infant Jesus, sweet and holy, sleeps in peace in the manger.
The stars in the heavens looked down where he lay,
The stars in the sky shine down upon Jesus, lying in the manger.
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The meek and lowly child of God rests peacefully on a bed of hay.
Asleep, (Asleep,) asleep, (asleep,),
Sleeping, sleeping, the Savior lies in the stable!
Asleep, the Lord of all.
Jesus, the Lord and Master of all creation, is asleep.
The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes;
The cattle in the stable make noise and awaken the poor baby Jesus.
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
Although the baby wakes up, Jesus, the Lord, does not cry and remains peaceful.
I love thee, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky
The artist expresses their love for Jesus and asks Him to look down on them from heaven.
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
The artist asks Jesus to stay close to them and protect them until the morning light.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
The singer asks the Lord Jesus to always be near them, to remain present in their life.
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
The artist prays that Jesus will always love them and stay close to them forever.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
The singer asks Jesus to bless all the children who are under His loving care.
And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
The singer asks Jesus to prepare them and all believers for heaven, the ultimate goal of life with Him.
Writer(s): Traditional
Contributed by Chase W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mannbradmusic
Believe it or not, the chorus I am in performed this same arrangement almost two years ago and if you don't mind, I would like to share with you an editional verse of my own. It is as follows.
"He lived as a human, God's plan to fulfill;
In perfect obedience, accomplished His will.
Then died on a cross to forgive all my sin,
and rose from the dead my rightstanding to win!
Plus, if you, along with anyone else who sees this comment would like a more in-depth analysis on who this Jesus is and what He came to do, I invite you to click on my channel and check out one or more of my presentations and to read the description thereof.
@ArijitSanyal
I am not Christian but I love Jesus Christ from bottom of my heart, whenever I hear this song it just masmerize me, touch my soul. Mery Mery Christmas 🎄🎅⭐⛪
@samucob123
dude you just defined christian. you claim to not be christian but you love Jesus. you ARE Christian.
@samucob123
oh yeah and maybe get baptized
@bappabain2142
Same bro
@Gehenna71
So beautiful. What would life be without music...
Thank you for sharing. God bless
@robertmoldovan5931
Unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
@gedtaylor4773
God bless you to everyone who has lost a loved one they are by your side always
@JeannineGoeckeritz
Kind thoughts. Thank you.
@peromilan
Moving to tears everytime I hear this tune...really beautiful piece from the choir
@joannethibault6016
My dad' favorite hym. RIP dad.💙💚💖❤️