Angels We Have Heard on High
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir Lyrics

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Angels we have heard on high
Singing sweetly through the night
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their brave delight

Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tiding did you hear?

Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo

Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord, the new born king

Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo

See Him in a manger laid
Whom the angels praise above
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid
While we raise our hearts in love

Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo

Overall Meaning

The song 'Angels We Have Heard On High' is a Christmas carol which celebrates the birth of Christ. The song is a representation of the Biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. The song begins with the chorus, stating that the angels have been heard singing a sweet melody throughout the night, and the mountains are reverberating with their joyful voices. The singers then continue to glorify God with a repetition of the phrase "Gloria in excelsis Deo," which means "Glory to God in the highest."

The next verse questions the shepherds who are gathered around, asking them why they are rejoicing so joyously, and what good news they have received. The reply is that they have seen the shining star and heard the announcement of the birth of Christ. The third verse invites all to join in on the celebration, to come to Bethlehem and witness the birth of the Lord, to bow down and adore him.

The final verse enjoins Mary and Joseph to offer aid, while they all raise their hearts in love. The song comes to a close with another chorus of "Gloria in excelsis Deo." The song is a beautiful representation of the Christmas story, and it invites everyone to come and celebrate the birth of Christ.

Line by Line Meaning

Angels we have heard on high
We have heard angels singing loudly during the night

Singing sweetly through the night
The angels' songs were pleasant and harmonized with each other

And the mountains in reply
The mountains echoed the angels’ joyful singing

Echoing their brave delight
The mountains echoed the sound of the angels' cheerful song

Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in the highest to God

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Hey, shepherds, what's the reason for your happiness?

Why these songs of happy cheer?
Why are you singing these happy songs?

What great brightness did you see?
Did you see a bright light that made you feel jubilant?

What glad tiding did you hear?
What good news did you hear?

Come to Bethlehem and see
Visit Bethlehem, and you will have a chance to see something incredible

Him whose birth the angels sing
You will see the one whose birth the angels are singing about

Come, adore on bended knee
Come and worship him with humility, on your knees

Christ, the Lord, the new-born king
The infant king, Jesus Christ, the Lord

See Him in a manger laid
You will see him lying in a manger

Whom the angels praise above
The one whom angels praise more than anyone else

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid
Mary and Joseph, please help us and be with us

While we raise our hearts in love
As we express our love with all our hearts

Lyrics © Pubilc Domain

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Comments from YouTube:

@smittysmeee

11y↑46

I'm glad you like it! This arrangement is composed and directed by John Rutter, and is performed by the Cambridge Singers, 2005. The album is Christmas Star - Carols for the Christmas Season. Thanks for the question!

@gokukevind

8y↑63

Love this hymn. Always my favorite come Advent. We Canadian Catholics always love a good mass.

@CrazyLinguiniLegs

10y↑41

Again, very nice. I love these traditional choir recordings. They're the best.

@CristinaWorldMusic

8y↑7

amazing me and my church choir did an awesome job w this divine carol. United Methodist Church Crewe Virginia a group of amazing ppl.

@vustation

10y↑52

Peace On Earth, Goodwill Toward Men

@gunnarthorsen

10y↑19

It's September 2, 2014, I just finished reading the news online, came hear, looked for this song for some reason, and am sane again. Thank you, 2,000+ years of Christmas.

@elizabethquispe8357

9y↑6

Such a gorgeous song for the holidays

@terryallan283

11y↑13

Beautiful

@quintasarias

9y↑9

Love Traditional Choir Music, especially Christmas Music. Thanks for uploading ; )

@smittysmeee

11y↑10

@frankbaine3918

9y↑23

This is one hymn that always stirs great emotion for me. The visuals accompanying this are excellent as well. Thanks!

@Mr76musicman

10y↑17

Perfection. With the stained glass windows video, it was as though I were in an old French cathedral enjoying this amazing arrangement being performed.

@LELeonard

9y↑7

So beautiful the sound, the words, the meaning on this Christmas 2014. Thank you!

@007TruthSeeker

11y↑8

Thanks for posting this video. I love this hymn and play it frequently year 'round to capture another "hit" of Spirit to help me get through these troubled times. This version is lovely and mercifully bereft of modern tonalities, trusting in the simple beauty of child-like faith.

@80sVidLover

10y↑48

I had no idea this was originally a French Carol. Thanks for posting that info....I wish more people provided details when they create videos!!

@Thomgxx100

9y↑19

Absolutely stunning video, it fills me with joy. I can watch this over and over again. Thank you so much for posting this magnificent video :-)

@drjeffreylawrence

8y↑8

Thank you Megan for uploading this beautiful song

@sanabria04

8y↑77

I Love God

@blazing_crystalxx9605

7y↑6

I was singing this for Christmas at my school

@JoeMarkleymusic

8y↑6

Great version, thank you for posting

@scott12061972

10y↑7

Excellent version.

@DavidPvlch

9y↑5

Beautiful interpretation!

@samarasama960

11y↑4

so very nice I feel a clear and calm voices that make us relax do you have piece this song?

@DalokiMauvais

8y↑6

I can't figure out why I know different words to the second verse. I've never heard this version before. "Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why these songs of happy cheer? What great brightness did you see? What glad tidings did you hear?" are the words I grew up with.

@ripcord1022

9y↑8

Love this song.

@danvanan

10y↑5

Beautiful!

@munyaop

10y↑5

Just good, thanks Megan!

@Brievel

9y↑7

I love this song so much...and it's one of the few I can actually sing!! :D

@norchids1

11y↑3

This is a beautiful arrangement. Do you have any idea who the performing group is and when it was recorded? If I can contact them, I may be able to find out who arranged this version, and order copies of this specific piece for my choir to sing for this coming December. Thanks!

@sanabria04

8y↑33

Jesus Is Lord

@kendra13271

9y↑5

What choir is this? Where is it from?

@smittysmeee

9y↑6

This is the Cambridge Singers, and the arrangement is by John Rutter. It's from the album "Christmas Star - Carols for the Christmas Season," which you can find on Itunes. The whole album is good. Thanks for listening!

@TheLordshinnok

8y↑8

After watching this video I still have interest in the supernatural but I ain't religious at all.

@smittysmeee

10y↑70

Please note that all comments containing swearing, rude language and violent remarks directed towards any person will be reported as abuse, because that is what it is. ABUSE. Just be kind or don't say anything. Trolls, please move along. Thank you in advance.

@gunnarthorsen

10y↑7

Thanks! I'm no prude, I swear at times, but I have never understood why some leave profanity-filled comments for Christmas carols, of all things, with some of those comments being intended as "positive" no less!

@phillies4100_mainsite

9y↑5

God is Love, not hate so I agree 100%!!!!

@smittysmeee

9y↑5

phillies4100 "Anyone who does not know love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8

@phillies4100_mainsite

9y↑2

Exactly.. . Unfortunately I'm afraid that's a high number because it seems we are eliminating God at least in America :(

@smittysmeee

9y↑12

phillies4100 It's not the first time, nor the first country. Remember the Romans and their lions? But all the church did was get stronger and stronger. "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you." (John 15:18) The hatred of each other, and the hatred of God (this includes Christians, too! sometimes, especially, for "Christians" did their share of unjust persecuting and killing, too) is to be expected. "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) So, we do our best and above all, never lose heart. Jesus died and rose so that God could never be eliminated, not by us or anything else, even if we are forbidden to speak so much as His name like the Christians of old were.

4 More Replies...

@scottmurray4934

7y↑2

It is Angels we have heard on high, not angles.

@sanabria04

8y↑7

God Rocks

@markdavidbroqueza8443

8y↑4

kamurawayan sa dios sa kaitaasan asin sa daga katoninongan

@smittysmeee

8y↑5

Purihin ang Diyos ang Ama, ang Anak, at Espiritu Santo.

@ekoi1995

8y↑2

Who's the composer of this?

@smittysmeee

8y↑2

+Elijah Ingles This is the Cambridge Singers, and the arrangement is by John Rutter. It's from the album "Christmas Star - Carols for the Christmas Season," which you can find on Itunes. The whole album is good. Thanks for listening!

@ianrey7899

8y↑2

+Megan Smith thanks for uploading this! May I know the artist who created the stained glass images you used?

@smittysmeee

8y↑2

Ian Rey I'm no artist :D but some friends and I used take road trips and take pictures of churches, abandoned houses and barns, old country school houses, graveyards, things like that, back in the days of film photography when we had access to our college darkroom. Most of them are mine and some are my friends,' digitally cropped and enhanced, and some are stock photos from online providers. Let me know if you want to see some more prints. Thanks for listening and looking!

@petek3864

8y↑2

Megan smith who are these singers???

@smittysmeee

8y↑4

+Pete K This is the Cambridge Singers, and the arrangement is by John Rutter. It's from the album "Christmas Star - Carols for the Christmas Season," which you can find on Itunes. The whole album is good. Thanks for listening!