He became widely known for his version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1982), as well as his own compositions "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970), his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell" (his only single to hit the US Billboard Hot 100, making it to the Top 20).
Whittakers first chart success came in 1969 when "Durham Town (The Leavin')" was his first UK Top 20 hit. In 1970 came two follow-up hits, "I Don't Believe In If Anymore" (Top 10) and "New World In The Morning" (Top 20), and 1971 brought two smaller hit singles "Why" and "Mamy Blue".
Whittaker was absent from the UK singles chart until 1975, when "The Last Farewell" went Top 3, after which it was another eleven years until "Skye Boat Song" returned him to the Top 10 of the singles chart.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German language songs produced by Nick Munro (unable to speak German at that time, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically). In time he became more fluent in German and sang and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. Whittaker retired from touring in 2013.
Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
Roger Whittaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
aus einer Wurzel zart,
wie uns die Alten sungen,
von Jesse kam die Art.
Und hat ein Blümlein bracht,
mitten im kalten Winter,
wohl zu der halben Nacht.
davon Jesaias sagt,
hat uns gebracht alleine
Maria die reine Magd.
Aus Gottes ew'gem Rat
Hat sie ein Kind geboren,
wohl zu der halben Nacht,
wohl zu der halben Nacht.
The lyrics to Roger Whittaker's song "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen" come from an old German Christmas hymn of the same name, which is translated to "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming" in English. The first few lines describe a rose that has sprung from a delicate root, as foretold by the ancient prophets who wrote about its origins from the House of Jesse, a reference to the lineage of Jesus Christ. The rose bloomed in the midst of winter, just after midnight.
The second verse refers to the "Röslein" or little rose, which is mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in the Bible. This rose brings salvation to mankind and was brought about solely by the pure and holy mother, Mary, who gave birth to Jesus at midnight on Christmas.
The hymn celebrates the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of long-awaited prophecies, and the imagery of the rose and its delicate, blooming beauty is used as a metaphor for his arrival. The lyrics also emphasize the significance of the virgin birth and the role of Mary in bringing about the salvation of humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen,
A rose has sprung up,
aus einer Wurzel zart,
From a tender root,
wie uns die Alten sungen,
As the Ancients sang,
von Jesse kam die Art.
From Jesse's line it came.
Und hat ein Blümlein bracht,
And brought forth a little flower,
mitten im kalten Winter,
In the midst of cold winter,
wohl zu der halben Nacht.
At the midnight hour.
Das Röslein, dass ich meine,
The little rose that I mean,
davon Jesaias sagt,
Of which Isaiah said,
hat uns gebracht alleine
Alone brought us
Maria die reine Magd.
Mary the pure maid.
Aus Gottes ew'gem Rat
By God's eternal decree
Hat sie ein Kind geboren,
She bore a child,
wohl zu der halben Nacht,
At the midnight hour,
wohl zu der halben Nacht.
At the midnight hour.
Writer(s): Michael Praetorius, Donald Cashmore
Contributed by Reagan G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Geiserich
die Roger Whittaker Interpretationen der dt. Weihnachtslieder gehören bis heute zu den besten.