Good King Wenceslas
Simon Keenlyside / Richard Suart / Stephen Cleobury / The Choir Of St. John's College Cambridge Lyrics
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On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shown the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Gathering winter fuel.
Hither, page, and stand by me.
If thou know it telling:
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes fountain.
Bring me flesh, and bring me wine.
Bring me pine logs hither.
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear the thither.
Page and monarch, forth they went,
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather.
Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how.
I can go no longer.
Ark my footsteps my good page,
Tread thou in them boldly:
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
In his master's step he trod,
Where the snow lay dented.
Heat was in the very sod
Which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing
The song Good King Wenceslas is a classic Christmas carol that tells the story of King Wenceslas and his page, who ventured out into the harsh winter night to bring food and firewood to a poor man. The lyrics paint a picture of a winter wonderland, with snow and frost all around, but the king's compassion and kindness shine through the darkness. The song begins with a description of the scene on the feast of Stephen, with the snow deep and crisp and the moon shining bright. It then goes on to describe the encounter between the king and the poor man, who is gathering firewood in the bitter cold. The king asks his page to find out who the man is, and when he learns that he lives far away in the mountains, he decides to go and visit him.
The second half of the song tells of the journey through the harsh winter weather, with the king and his page facing the dark night and the strong winds. Despite the difficulties, they press on, and eventually reach the poor man's home, where they share food and warmth with him. The song ends with a message of hope and kindness, reminding us that those who bless the poor will find blessings themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
The king looks out over his land on the day of St. Stephen's feast
On the feast of Stephen,
The day on which this event occurred, which corresponds to the Christian holiday of St. Stephen's Day
When the snow lay round about,
The snow covered everything in sight
Deep and crisp and even.
The snow was deep, crunchy and smooth underfoot
Brightly shown the moon that night,
The moon was really bright that night
Though the frost was cruel,
Despite the freezing cold temperature
When a poor man came in sight,
He saw a poor man gathering wood for the winter
Gathering winter fuel.
The man was collecting wood to burn for warmth during winter
Hither, page, and stand by me.
Come here, page, and stand with me
If thou know it telling:
Do you know who that peasant is?
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that peasant over there?
Where and what his dwelling?
Where does he live and what is his home like?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
He lives a good distance away
Underneath the mountain,
He lives near a mountain
Right against the forest fence
His house is located next to the fence of a forest
By Saint Agnes fountain.
His home is near a fountain dedicated to Saint Agnes
Bring me flesh, and bring me wine.
Get some meat and wine
Bring me pine logs hither.
Bring some pine logs here
Thou and I will see him dine
The king and the page will join the man for dinner
When we bear the thither.
When we bring the food to him
Page and monarch, forth they went,
The page and the king set off
Forth they went together
They travelled together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
Despite the harsh and cold wind
And the bitter weather.
And the unpleasant weather conditions
Sire, the night is darker now,
The page points out that it's getting darker
And the wind blows stronger.
The wind has gotten stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how.
The page's heart is failing him
I can go no longer.
He can't go on anymore
Ark my footsteps my good page,
Listen to my footsteps, my dear page
Tread thou in them boldly:
Follow in my footsteps bravely
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
You will experience the harsh winter conditions
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
You will not feel the cold as much if you follow in his steps
In his master's step he trod,
The page follows in the footsteps of the king
Where the snow lay dented.
The page walks along the trail the king made in the snow
Heat was in the very sod
There was warmth coming from the ground
Which the saint had printed.
This heat came from the footprints left by Saint Agnes
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
This story teaches all Christians to remember
Wealth or rank possessing,
Regardless of social standing or wealth
Ye who now will bless the poor
Those who help the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
Will themselves be blessed.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TONY ALLEN, DONIE CASSIDY, MICK FOSTER, JOHN MASON NEALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind