In the Bleak Mid-Winter
The Black Mountain Male Chorus Lyrics
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Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
What can i give him, poor as i am?
If i were a shepherd, i would bring a lamb;
If i were a wise man, i would do my part;
Yet what i can i give him... give my heart.
The Black Mountain Male Chorus's song, "In The Bleak Mid-Winter," written by Christina Rossetti and set to music by Gustav Holst, is a poignant reflection on the nativity scene in which Jesus Christ was born. The first verse describes the harshness of the winter environment during that time, with the ground so frozen that the earth is as hard as iron, and the water is also frozen, while snow falls relentlessly. This sets the scene for the next verse which paints a vivid picture of the angels and heavenly beings that may have been present as the Christ child was born. The focus, however, is on the mother, Mary, who adores her newborn son in the quietness of their surroundings. The final verse is a reflection on what a poor man such as the writer could offer the Christ child. Lastly, the writer concludes that the only thing worthy enough to offer is his heart.
Rossetti's lyrics present an earthly picture of Christ's birth and state of being, significantly different from the glory attributed to Him in traditional Christmas hymns. The song's reflective theme echoes the humility of the birth of Christ and reminds the listener of the pure love and sacrifice of Christ.
Line by Line Meaning
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
During a cold and harsh winter, the wind howled and moaned mournfully.
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
The ground was rock solid and the water was frozen solid as well.
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
It snowed heavily and continuously, forming layer upon layer of snow covering everything.
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
This was a very long time ago, when the wind was icy, the ground was hard, and the snow was deep.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
There may have been heavenly beings like angels and archangels present in that place.
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
There may have also been other supernatural beings like cherubim and seraphim filling the air.
But his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
However, only his mother was there, in her state of pure happiness and virginity.
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
She expressed her love and devotion for the beloved with a kiss.
What can i give him, poor as i am?
Despite being poor, what can I offer him?
If i were a shepherd, i would bring a lamb;
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb as a gift.
If i were a wise man, i would do my part;
If I were a wise man, I would do my best to fulfill my duty.
Yet what i can i give him... give my heart.
But all I can give him is my heart and my love, which I offer with humility and sincerity.
Writer(s): Jamie Cullum, Gustav Holst
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ijameswalters
Happy Holidays, precious.
RageMagikarp
Sweet, new video! It even has parkour!
Yeshaya Coplon
Can we download these somewere?
SuperMasters2009
Yay! New video!!
Insane We Trust
Please never stop having epic eyebrows. :D
Julie McLaney
You're such a nut! :D Thank you for the giggles as always! <3
tjmmz9843
I love this video. It restores my faith in humanity!
Joking aside, I just want to note that this is Gustav Holst's tune (rather than Harold Darke's). Both are beautiful. I like Holst's best. I feel privileged to have heard L James' rendition; sung beautifully, with even Gollum giving an ironically pitch-perfect, emotional performance. I'd love to know who did the arrangement.
tjmmz9843
@Ijameswalters OK, I went to Amazon and got the "Songs of Angels" CD by Robert Shaw Chamber Singers. If that's the version you mean: You've spruced up the chords in a couple places. And, wisely, you dropped out a pretty annoying descant. Again, nice job! yours is better!
Ijameswalters
@tjmmz9843 Thanks so much! I worked really hard on this one. Robert Shaw Chamber Singers sang this version, which I liked the most out of the ones I could find. I just sang all the parts. It definitely isn't perfect, but I got pretty close in some places.
CaptHayfever
We should all take a moment to appreciate your mad climbing skills.