God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Percy Faith & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
From God our heavenly father
The blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
How bad in Bethlehem was born
The son of God by name
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All ever that you can face
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
The song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was originally a traditional English carol dating back to the 18th century. The song is a traditional Christmas hymn that highlights the good news of Jesus Christ's birth, emphasizing the message of comfort and joy. The song encourages listeners to remember the birth of Christ, who was born to save humanity from Satan's power and to embrace the spirit of Christmas with love and brotherhood.
The first stanza coaxes listeners to take heart, reminding them that nothing should dismay them. The lyrics assert that Christ was born to save us from the evil of the world when we were lost and astray. The chorus of the song declares "tidings of comfort and joy," repeating the phrase three times, reinforcing the message of hope and joy that emanates from the birth of Christ.
In the second verse, the song shifts focus onto the blessed angel sent by God, who brought the good news to the shepherds. The message was that a savior had been born in Bethlehem, whose name was Jesus. The shepherds were the first people to hear the good news of Christ's birth, and the verse describes their reaction upon receiving the tidings with delight and joy.
The final verse encourages people to sing praises to the Lord and offer true love and brotherhood. The lyrics suggest that people should embrace the spirit of Christmas as a time of great joy and celebration. The song concludes with the same declaration of comfort and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
God rest ye merry gentlemen
May you have a peaceful and joyful holiday season, dear gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Don't be disheartened by anything and stay happy
Remember Christ our savior
Recall the birth of Jesus Christ, our savior
Was born on Christmas day
He was born exactly on the day we celebrate Christmas
To save us all from Satan's power
He came to rescue us from the grasp of Satan
When we were gone astray
When we had lost our way in life
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Oh, news of relief and happiness
Comfort and joy
Peaceful and joyful emotions
From God our heavenly father
The angel sent the message from God, our father in heaven
The blessed angel came
An angel, who was blessed and holy, came to the shepherds
And unto certain shepherds
And specifically to some shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
Brought the same news to them
How bad in Bethlehem was born
That the son of God, named Jesus, was born in Bethlehem
The son of God by name
He was the son of God, given the name Jesus
Now to the Lord sing praises
Sing praises to the Lord, now
All you within this place
Everyone gathered here, sing praises to the Lord
And with true love and brotherhood
And with genuine love and unity
Each other now embrace
Now hug each other
This holy tide of Christmas
This is the sacred moment of Christmas
All ever that you can face
No matter what challenges you may face
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DP, LOREENA MCKENNITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jennifer Schillig
There's something almost haunting about this arrangement, especially the first half of it. I can almost see Scrooge tramping through the dark London streets to his home, about to see the face of Jacob Marley in his door knocker...
Osana Najjmi
you are so correct....I can picture it
Sovereign071
Took me FOREVER to find this. First heard it on a cassette tape of A Christmas Carol, so I couldn't just put it on my computer. Now, I'll never lose it again!
David B
My parents had this version on an old record. Even before I was in school I would sneak and play their old cabinet type record player. Came across this one day and just kept playing it over and over. Couldnβt have been more than 5 and the sound of that orchestra just had an impact on me . Thanks to YouTube I can now hear it again
Guillermo Delgado
Un fastuoso arreglo de este bello villancico americano, con la magia del maestro Percy Faith y su Gran Orquesta, una joya musical imperecedera como solo un mΓΊsico de tan altas calidades fue capaz de producirlo.
anan bass
Every other orchestral arrangement of this piece I listened to had the Oboe playing the theme first, but Horn sounds soooo much better,which is the case in this one!
misspoptart
Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for the upload. :) I'm trying to find all the old songs my mom and dad would play, they had all kinds of records on tapes. Needless to say it's lost!
silverinkpot7
Wonderful - I love this version!
Gilly James
Beautiful - Love it! xx
Michael T
Love this!!! Brings back great memories of my young childhood. Thanks for sharing.