Good King Wenceslas
The Ames Brothers Sid Ramin And His Orchestra & Broc Peters Chorus 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 Ames' song "The Good" is based on the traditional Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas." The song describes the story of King Wenceslas, who, on the feast of Stephen, looks out and sees a poor man gathering fuel in the deep and even snow. He asks his page to stand by him and points out the poor man, asking who he is and where he lives. The page responds that he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain, against the forest fence by Saint Agnes fountain.
King Wenceslas then directs the page to bring flesh, wine, and pine logs, and they both set out in the wild and bitter weather to find the poor man. As they journey, the weather worsens, and the page tells the king that he cannot go any further. The king directs the page to follow in his footsteps, assuring him that he will feel the cold less strongly if he does so. The two eventually reach the poor man's dwelling, and they help him by providing food and warmth.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
The king named Wenceslas watched as an event took place.
On the feast of Stephen,
This event happened during a time of festivities known as Stephen's Day.
When the snow lay round about,
The snow was everywhere and had accumulated on the surrounding areas.
Deep and crisp and even.
The snow was deep, crisp and even, with no inconsistencies or footsteps all over it.
Brightly shown the moon that night,
The moon was shining brightly that night providing light against the dark backdrop.
Though the frost was cruel,
Despite the harmful effects of the cold and frost, the moonshine was bright.
When a poor man came in sight,
A destitute man was just within his sight, gathering winter fuel.
Gathering winter fuel.
He was collecting material to make fuel to warm himself during winter.
Hither, page, and stand by me.
Come closer, my servant or helper, and stand right next to me.
If thou know it telling:
If you know the details tell me without any hesitation.
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that poor man over there?
Where and what his dwelling?
Where does he live and what is his house like?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
He lives a good distance away, about three miles.
Underneath the mountain,
He lives below the mountain area.
Right against the forest fence
His house is located next to the fence near the edge of the forest.
By Saint Agnes fountain.
His house is located next to the fountain of Saint Agnes.
Bring me flesh, and bring me wine.
Bring me meat and wine.
Bring me pine logs hither.
Bring some pine logs here.
Thou and I will see him dine
We will share a meal with him.
When we bear the thither.
When we take the food to him at his place.
Page and monarch, forth they went,
The king and his servant went forth on this mission.
Forth they went together
They moved forward together with one purpose.
Through the rude wind's wild lament
In spite of the wind's disconcerting noise
And the bitter weather.
and the harsh adverse climate.
Sire, the night is darker now,
My lord, the night is now darker than before.
And the wind blows stronger.
The wind has grown increasingly violent.
Fails my heart, I know not how.
My courage has melted and I don't know why.
I can go no longer.
I cannot continue any further.
Ark my footsteps my good page,
Follow and step into where I am stepping, my loyal helper.
Tread thou in them boldly:
Put your feet down firmly and with confidence.
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
You will see that the extremity of winter's cry.
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
Will feel less cold as you march after me.
In his master's step he trod,
The servant walked in the footsteps of his master.
Where the snow lay dented.
Where the snow was compressed by the feet of his king before him.
Heat was in the very sod
The place was warm and cosy to their surprise.
Which the saint had printed.
Where a saint had previously tread.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
So, my fellow Christians, be certain and assured
Wealth or rank possessing,
Whether you possess wealth or a high status
Ye who now will bless the poor
You who humble yourself to bless the poor.
Shall yourselves find blessing
You, too, will find blessings flowing back to you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: - DP, JOHN B. HANCOCK, RICH DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind