Do You Hear What I Hear?
Ralph Carmichael Lyrics
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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.
Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
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?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
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!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
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.
The lyrics of Ralph Carmichael's song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" speak of a conversation between different characters: the night wind, the little lamb, the shepherd boy, the mighty king, and the people. The night wind asks the little lamb if it can see the star dancing in the night with a tail as big as a kite. The lamb then asks the shepherd boy if he can hear the song ringing through the sky with a voice as big as the sea. The shepherd boy then tells the king that a child is shivering in the cold and suggests they bring him gifts of silver and gold. Finally, the king urges the people to pray for peace because the Child who is sleeping in the night will bring them goodness and light.
Although the song was written during the Cold War, its message of peace and goodwill has resonated with audiences for decades. It's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, hope and light can still shine through.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
The wind asked the lamb if it could see what the wind was seeing.
Do you see what I see?
The wind was asking if the lamb see what the wind was seeing.
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
The wind was referring to something high in the sky that the lamb may be able to see.
A star, a star, dancing in the night
The wind saw a star that was moving around in the night sky.
With a tail as big as a kite,
The star had a tail that was very long, like a kite's tail.
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
The lamb asked the shepherd boy a question.
Do you hear what I hear?
The lamb was also asking the shepherd boy if he could hear what the lamb was hearing.
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
The lamb could hear something that was making a ringing noise in the sky.
Do you hear what I hear?
The lamb was confirming with the shepherd boy if he too could hear what the lamb was hearing.
A song, a song high above the trees
The shepherd boy could hear a song that was playing very high in the sky, above the trees.
With a voice as big as the sea,
The voice of the song was very loud and sounded as big as the entire sea.
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
The shepherd boy was speaking to the king of his country.
Do you know what I know?
The shepherd boy was trying to tell the king something he thought was important, and asked if the king knew the same thing.
In your palace warm, mighty king,
The shepherd boy knew that the king lived in a warm palace, and was addressing him by his title.
Do you know what I know?
The shepherd boy was asking the king if he knew what the boy was about to tell him.
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
The shepherd boy wanted to tell the king that there was a child who was very cold and shivering.
Let us bring him silver and gold,
The shepherd boy thought it would be a good idea to bring the child some silver and gold to help him.
Said the king to the people everywhere,
The king was speaking to all the people in his kingdom and beyond.
Listen to what I say!
The king wanted everyone to pay attention to what he was about to say.
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
The king wanted everyone to pray for peace, regardless of where they lived.
Listen to what I say!
The king wanted to reiterate the importance of everyone listening to what he had to say.
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
The king was referring to the child mentioned earlier who was cold and shivering, who was now sleeping.
He will bring us goodness and light,
The king believed that this child would bring goodness and light to the world.
Lyrics © REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: FELIX BERNARD, RICHARD B SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sue Duffield
The soundtrack of our family's Christmas, never realizing that Ralph ALSO arranged this as well!!!!!
Deloy Sterns
Same here Never knew Ralph was on this all time Christmas Classic
Stephen Boalt
Great memories!