O Holy Night
The American Boychoir Lyrics
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It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
The American Boychoir's rendition of "Silent Night! Holy Night!" captures the essence of the celebrated Christmas carol. The first verse recalls the awe-inspiring moment of Christ's birth, when "the stars are brightly shining," and "the world in sin and error pining" finally experiences a glimmer of hope at the arrival of the Savior. This hope is palpable, felt by "the Spirit" in a momentous shift of consciousness that reflects the idea of "salvation" as a journey of spiritual awakening. The lyric "Fall on your knees" is a symbolic gesture of surrender, as if the whole world recognizes that something divine is happening and reverently bows before it.
The second verse portrays a more intimate scene of people gathered around "His cradle," looking upon the baby Jesus with glowing hearts. The arrival of the "wisemen from out of the Orient land" is a metaphor for the people coming from all over to worship the new baby king. The lyric "In all our trials born to be our friends" underscores the Christian theology of Christ being both divine and human, fully able to empathize with human struggles. The final verse extols Christ's teachings of love and peace as the way to break "chains" of oppression and elevate all people to the same level of humanity. The call to "ever, ever praise" Christ's power and glory reinforces the idea that the birth of Jesus is a miraculous event to be celebrated and revered for all time.
Line by Line Meaning
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
This is a holy night where the stars shine brightly.
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Tonight is when our beloved savior was born.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
The world was lost in sin and error for a long time.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
Until He appeared, the Spirit did not know its true value.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
The world full of tired people now rejoices with a burst of hope.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
A new glorious day is breaking over there.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
Kneel down and listen to the angelic voices.
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
This is the holy night when Christ was born.
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
Oh, this holy night is truly divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
Guided by the shining light of faith in a peaceful manner.
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
We stand by his cradle with hearts full of warmth.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
A star shines sweetly over the world.
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The wise men from the Eastern land now arrive.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
The King of kings lay low in a manger.
In all our trials born to be our friends.
Born to be our friend in all our troubles.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
He understands our needs, our weaknesses are not unfamiliar to Him.
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King and bow down humbly before Him!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
He taught us to truly love each other.
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
His commandment is love, and his teaching is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
He will break the chains because the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
All oppression will end in His name.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
We sing sweet songs of joy with grateful hearts.
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
With all our hearts, we praise His sacred name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
Christ is the Lord! And we should always praise Him.
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Proclaim His power and glory for eternity!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Proclaim His power and glory for eternity!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADOLPHE ADAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maickel Clemente
This is the most beautiful version I've heard of this Carol.. brings tears to my eyes.. so, so moving.. Merry Christmas everyone..
[Name withheld by Google for Security Purposes]
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, too! May 2020 bring you good fortune and good health. :)
Bryan Scott Andrews
This is the finest recording of the John Rutter arrangement I have heard to date.
Roger Braga
One of best versions of this most beautiful Christmas Carol
ms25risa
My favorite choral version of my favorite Christmas carol ♥️.
Ms Moco
This is so beautiful.
Brian OConnell
Truly Truly beautiful