Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop… Read Full Bio ↴Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 250 million records worldwide. He has had 10 number-one albums and 31 top ten singles in the UK, six of which reached number one. Stewart has had 16 top ten singles in the US, with four reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. He was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity.

Stewart's music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined The Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars before moving to the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces in 1969, he also maintained a solo career releasing his debut album that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and R&B. His third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its ballad "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album, Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.

After Stewart had a handful more UK top ten hits, the Faces broke up in 1975. Stewart's next few hit singles were ballads with "Sailing", off the 1975 UK and Australian number-one album, Atlantic Crossing, becoming a hit in the UK and the Netherlands (number one), Germany (number four) and other countries, but barely charting in North America. A Night on the Town (1976), his fifth straight chart-topper in the UK, began a three-album run of going number one or top three in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia with each release. That album's "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" spent almost two months at number one in the US and Canada, and made the top five in other countries. Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) contained the hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" as well as the rocker "Hot Legs". Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and its disco-tinged "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" both went to number one in Canada, Australia and the US, with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" also hitting number one in the UK and the top ten in other countries. Stewart's albums regularly hit the upper rungs of the charts in the Netherlands throughout the 70s and in Sweden from 1975 onward.

After a disco and new wave period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stewart's music turned to a soft rock/middle-of-the-road style, with most of his albums reaching the top ten in the UK, Germany and Sweden, but faring less well in the US. The single "Rhythm of My Heart" was a top five hit in the UK, US and other countries, with its source album, 1991's Vagabond Heart, becoming, at number ten in the US and number two in the UK, his highest-charting album in a decade. In 1993, he collaborated with Bryan Adams and Sting on the power ballad "All for Love", which went to number one in many countries. In the early 2000s, he released a series of successful albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.

In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". A Grammy and Brit Award recipient, he was voted at No. 33 in Q Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time. As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and he was inducted a second time into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Faces.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart

Studio albums
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969)
Gasoline Alley (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Never a Dull Moment (1972)
Smiler (1974)
Atlantic Crossing (1975)
A Night on the Town (1976)
Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977)
Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
Body Wishes (1983)
Camouflage (1984)
Every Beat of My Heart (1986)
Out of Order (1988)
Vagabond Heart (1991)
A Spanner in the Works (1995)
When We Were the New Boys (1998)
Human (2001)
It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002)
As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003)
Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004)
Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005)
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006)
Soulbook (2009)
Once in a Blue Moon: The Lost Album (2010)
Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Merry Christmas, Baby (2012)
Time (2013)
Another Country (2015)
Blood Red Roses (2018)
The Tears of Hercules (2021)

We Three Kings
Rod Stewart Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We three kings of orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain
Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again

King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to your perfect light

Frankincense and myrrh have I
I give the love in sacrifice
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to your perfect light

O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to your perfect light

Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to your perfect light

We three kings of orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain
Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Field and fountain

Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rod Stewart's We Three Kings are a retelling of the story of the Magi, or wise men, who followed a star to Bethlehem in search of the newborn King of the Jews. The first verse sets the scene of their journey from the East, navigating various terrains in pursuit of the star that would lead them to the Messiah. They carried with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which they intended to offer to the new-born King as a sign of their homage and recognition of his divinity. The second verse highlights their mission to pay tribute to the newborn King, a king that would reign over them forever. It is a recognition of Jesus' sovereignty and eternal rule over heaven and earth.

The chorus of the song focuses on the star that guided the Magi to their destination, depicting it as a star of wonder and beauty, hence the phrase "star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright." Its significance goes beyond that of a mere celestial body, for it holds a spiritual significance; it is a symbol of hope and illumination. The final verse returns to the Magi's offerings of frankincense and myrrh as they worship the newborn King, recognizing his divine nature and offering their praise to God.

Overall, We Three Kings is a song of hope, faith, and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, whose coming and eventual reign would bring salvation and deliverance to humanity.

Line by Line Meaning

We three kings of orient are
We, three people from the East, are kings.

Bearing gifts we traverse afar
We are carrying gifts and we have traveled a long distance.

Field and fountain
We traveled through fields and saw fountains.

Moor and mountain
We also traveled through moors and mountains.

Following yonder star
We are following a bright star in the sky.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
A king was born in a place called Bethlehem.

Gold I bring to crown Him again
I have brought gold to give to the king as a gift.

King forever, ceasing never
He will reign as a king forever and never cease.

Over us all to reign
He will rule over all of us.

O star of wonder, star of night
Oh, wonderful and beautiful star shining in the night sky!

Star with royal beauty bright
This star is exceptionally beautiful and befits royalty.

Westward leading, still proceeding
It is leading us westward and we are still moving forward.

Guide us to your perfect light
Please guide us to your perfect brightness, shining star.

Frankincense and myrrh have I
I have brought frankincense and myrrh as a gift.

I give the love in sacrifice
I am offering these gifts as a symbol of my love.

Prayer and praising, all men raising
We are all praying and praising together.

Worship Him, God most high
We worship Him, the highest God.

Westward leading, still proceeding
We are still traveling westward, following the star.

Guide us to your perfect light
Please continue to guide us to your perfect light, shining star.

O star of wonder, star of night
Oh wonderful and beautiful star shining in the night sky!

Star with royal beauty bright
You are an exceptionally beautiful star that befits royalty.

Westward leading, still proceeding
Please continue to lead us westward, shining star.