Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Sinatra Martin Davis Jr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With th' angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
"Glory to the newborn King!
Christ, by highest heav'n adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold him come
Offspring of the favored one
Veil'd in flesh, the Godhead see
Hail, th'incarnate Deity
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Hail! the heav'n-born Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sone of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
The lyrics to "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. are a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, announcing his arrival with the angels singing "Glory to the newborn King!" The hymn expresses the idea of reconciliation between God and sinners, and the joy of all nations rising to join in the triumph of the skies. The song suggests that Jesus is both human and divine, describing him as the "Godhead" and the "incarnate Deity" who became man to dwell among us. The chorus of the song repeats the exclamation "Hark! the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!" as a call for all to join in the celebration.
The lyrics of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" were written by Charles Wesley in the 18th century and the music was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in the 19th century. Mendelssohn originally wrote the music as part of a cantata honoring the five-hundredth anniversary of the printing press. The tune was later adapted to fit the lyrics of Wesley's hymn, and the song became popular in churches and Christmas celebrations around the world. Interestingly, during its early years, the hymn was criticized for not being serious enough for religious purposes.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark! the herald angels sing
Listen! Angels are singing
"Glory to the newborn King!
"Let's celebrate the birth of the new King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
May peace and mercy be upon the earth
God and sinners reconciled"
God has brought sinners back to Him
Joyful, all ye nations, rise
All nations should rise up with joy
Join the triumph of the skies
Join the celebration in the sky (heaven)
With th' angelic host proclaim
Proclaim with the angelic host
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
"Christ has been born in Bethlehem"
Christ, by highest heav'n adored
Christ is adored by the highest heaven
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Christ is the eternal Lord
Late in time behold him come
He has come later in time
Offspring of the favored one
He is the descendant of the favored one (Mary)
Veil'd in flesh, the Godhead see
Even though He is covered in flesh, we can see that He is divine
Hail, th'incarnate Deity
Let us praise the divine being who is now in human form
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell
He is happy to live among humans as a man
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Jesus, our God is with us!
"Glory to the newborn King!
"Let's celebrate the birth of the new King!
Hail! the heav'n-born Prince of peace!
Let's praise the Prince of peace who was born in heaven!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Let's praise the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings
He brings light and life to everyone
Risen with healing in his wings
He has arisen with healing power
Mild he lays his glory by
He humbly sets aside his glory
Born that man no more may die
He was born so that human beings shall not perish
Born to raise the sone of earth
He was born to raise up the sons of the earth
Born to give them second birth"
He was born to give them a second birth (through salvation)
Hark! the herald angels sing
Listen! Angels are singing
"Glory to the newborn King!
"Let's celebrate the birth of the new King!
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Walt Disney Music Company, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL BATEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind