David
St. David Balfour Lyrics
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Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable
With the poor and mean and lowly Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
And our eyes at last shall see him Through his own redeeming love; For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable
With the oxen standing by
We shall see him, but in heaven Set at God’s right hand on high; When like stars his children crowned All in white shall wait around.
The lyrics to "Once in royal David's city" tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ as was experienced by Mary, the mother. The song begins by describing the setting where Jesus was born, a lowly cattle shed where he was laid in a manger for his bed. The song then tells us how God sent his son down to the earth to be born in such a humble place. Jesus' shelter was a stable and his cradle was a stall. He lived on earth with the poor and lowly people, which is a theme of his life's work of compassion and humility. The song ends on a hopeful note that although we may not see Jesus in that lowly stable, but when we die and go to heaven, we shall see Jesus there sitting at God's right hand on high. It is through Jesus' own redeeming love that we would see him at last, surrounded by his children who are all in white and waiting around like stars.
The song was written by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848 and was first published in "Hymns for Little Children," a collection of hymns that were meant to provide Christian instruction for young children. The melody that is most associated with this song was composed by the English organist Henry John Gauntlett. "Once in Royal David's City" has been sung as the opening hymn at the Lessons and Carols service at King's College, Cambridge every year since 1919. The lyrics of this song are easy to learn and its melody is beautiful, making it a popular hymn to be sung during the holiday season.
Here are 10 interesting facts about the song:
Line by Line Meaning
Once in royal David’s city
In the past, in the grand city of King David
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
There was a humble cow shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In which a mother placed her child
In a manger for his bed:
In a feeding trough for a bed
Mary was that mother mild
The mother's name was Mary and she was gentle
Jesus Christ her little child.
Her child was Jesus Christ
He came down to earth from heaven
He descended from heaven to earth
Who is God and Lord of all,
He is God and the ruler of everything
And his shelter was a stable
His place of refuge was the cow shed
And his cradle was a stall;
And the stall was his crib
With the poor and mean and lowly
He lived among the poor and humble
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
As a holy savior, he lived on earth
And our eyes at last shall see him
Finally, we will see him with our own eyes
Through his own redeeming love;
Through his own act of salvation
For that child so dear and gentle
Because that child is so precious and kind
Is our Lord in heaven above,
He is our Lord in the holy place above us
And he leads his children on
He guides his followers
To the place where he is gone.
To where he has gone
Not in that poor lowly stable,
But not in that poor cow shed
With the oxen standing by,
Where oxen stood beside
We shall see him, but in heaven
We will see him but in heaven
Set at God’s right hand on high;
At the highest place on God's right side
When like stars his children crowned
When his followers are crowned like stars
All in white shall wait around.
All dressed in white and will wait around.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CECIL F ALEXANDER, HENRY JOHN GAUNTLETT, PHIL KELSALL, Arthur Mann, Bramwell Gay, Henry Gauntlett, Robin Wells
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind