Do You Hear What I Hear
Nelson Riddle Orchestra And Chorus Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Said the night wind to the little lamb
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
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
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
Do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king
Do you know what I know
Do you know what I know
A child, a child shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Listen to what I say
The child, the child, sleeping in the night




He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

Overall Meaning

The song "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Nelson Riddle Orchestra and Chorus is a Christmas classic that tells the story of the Nativity as seen through the eyes of different characters in the tale. The song begins with the night wind asking the little lamb if it sees a star dancing in the sky with a tail as big as a kite. The star in question is the Star of Bethlehem, which the wise men followed to the birthplace of Jesus. The lamb then asks the shepherd boy if he hears a song ringing through the sky with a voice as big as the sea. The song is the angels' proclamation of Jesus' birth to the shepherds in the fields.


The story then shifts to the shepherd boy telling the mighty king that a child shivers in the cold and suggests bringing the child silver and gold. This refers to the wise men's gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn king. Finally, the king urges the people to pray for peace and reminds them that the child, who will bring goodness and light, is sleeping in the night.


Overall, "Do You Hear What I Hear" is a song about hope, peace, and faith in the miraculous birth of Jesus. It uses imagery and symbolism to convey the message of the story to listeners in a memorable and beautiful way.


Line by Line Meaning

Said the night wind to the little lamb
The wind spoke to the lamb in a hushed voice


Do you see what I see
Can you see what is happening up in the sky?


Way up in the sky, little lamb
Something incredible is happening in the far-removed sky, little lamb


A star, a star, dancing in the night
It's an astronomical event involving a celestial body


With a tail as big as a kite
It seems to have a massive, flying tail behind it


Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
The lamb spoke to the shepherd boy, likely feeling astounded


Do you hear what I hear
Have you noticed that ringing sound in the sky as well?


Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy
The sound is audible all throughout the airspace


A song, a song, high above the trees
It's a tune being sung, far above the treetops


With a voice as big as the sea
The voice behind the song is as grand as the whole body of water in the world


Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
The shepherd boy is having a conversation with a prominent king


Do you know what I know
Are you aware of what is occurring in the colder areas of the territory?


In your palace warm, mighty king
Here in your cozily heated palace, there are people outside dwelling in the frost


A child, a child shivers in the cold
An infant, feeling the frigid temperature, is quivering from freezing


Let us bring him silver and gold
We can show our gratitude to him by giving him precious gift items


Said the king to the people everywhere
The king has something essential to disclose to everyone


Listen to what I say
Please lend me your ears and hear me out carefully


Pray for peace, people everywhere
Solemnly wish for harmonious resolution to be bestowed to every community present


The child, the child, sleeping in the night
The infant, soundlessly resting, unaware of what's to come next


He will bring us goodness and light
He will be the source of positivity and illumination for us




Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Noel Regney, Gloria Shayne

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions