Good King Wenceslas
The Fab Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone 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'st 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"
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer"
"Mark 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 steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
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 song Good King Wenceslas dates back to the Victorian era and is a Christmas carol that tells the story of a king who looked out on the feast of Stephen (the day after Christmas) and saw a poor man gathering wood in the snow. The king asked his page to tell him who the poor man was and where he lived. The page informed the king that the poor man lived a good league away, under the mountain, and by Saint Agnes' fountain. As the night grew darker and the wind blew stronger, the page grew afraid to continue, but the king told him to follow in his footsteps boldly, and promised him that he would find the winter's rage much less coldly if he did. The song ends with a message to Christian men to bless the poor, for in doing so they too will find blessings.
Line by Line Meaning
Good King Wenceslas looked out
King Wenceslas peered outside
On the feast of Stephen
It was the day after Christmas
When the snow lay round about
The snow covered everything
Deep and crisp and even
The snow was thick and smooth
Brightly shone the moon that night
The moon was shining brightly
Though the frost was cruel
Despite the harsh cold
When a poor man came in sight
King Wenceslas saw a poor man nearby
Gathering winter fuel
The poor man was collecting firewood
"Hither, page, and stand by me
"Come here, servant, and stand with me
If thou know'st it, telling
Tell me if you know who he is
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Who is that peasant over there?
Where and what his dwelling?"
Where does he live and what does he do?
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
"He lives a far distance from here
Underneath the mountain
Near the bottom of a mountain
Right against the forest fence
Near the edge of the forest
By Saint Agnes' fountain"
Close to a fountain dedicated to Saint Agnes
"Sire, the night is darker now
"It's darker now, your majesty
And the wind blows stronger
The wind is picking up
Fails my heart, I know not how
I'm afraid, I don't know why
I can go no longer"
I can't continue any further
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
"Follow my footsteps, my loyal servant
Tread thou in them boldly
Step in them confidently
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
You'll experience the harshness of winter
Freeze thy blood less coldly"
But it won't be as cold for you"
In his master's steps he trod
The servant followed in King Wenceslas' footsteps
Where the snow lay dinted
Where King Wenceslas had stepped
Heat was in the very sod
The ground was still warm from his footsteps
Which the Saint had printed
Saint Agnes had also walked in that area
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
So remember, Christian people,
Wealth or rank possessing
Whether you're rich or poor
Ye who now will bless the poor
If you help the poor now
Shall yourselves find blessing
You will be blessed as well
Contributed by Liam C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@christinaburke2461
I've been looking for this forever! Thank you! Best version of one of my favorite Christmas songs! I hear this playing over the music intercom at work. Love it!
What album was this on?
@newyorktown
This is much better than the original christmas songs.
@carlmoore19
"Tell Me What You See" was an album cut, hence, relatively obscure. It was on "Help!" album in England, but on "Beatles VI" album in the U.S.
@beckycampana140
And George Harrison did an impromptu singing of Good King Wenceslas on a BBC taping on the radio in 1963 or so, so that may have figured into them choosing it, but that's just my theory ⛄🎅 This also makes me want to listen to Tell Me What You See!
@BaronVonShrapnel
Tell Me What You See was also covered by the CCM band Jacob's Trouble on their album Door Into Summer.
I was unaware that The Beatles had done a version; I thought it was one of their tunes they gave away.
@MrIzzo-oz3iz
This is so good Shazam thought it was Tell Me What you See
@eternalstar01
Actually pretty awesome
@Scriptorsilentum
No video but the music is kinda funky. I likes! :) Thanks for posting this one.
@dm95422
I wonder what Paul McCartney thinks of this album. Would love to hear what he has to say.
@tarynwest4044
So fun!