God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Priests Lyrics


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God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
For Jesus Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our Heavenly Father, a blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

And when they came to Bethlehem where our dear Savior lay
They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay
His Mother Mary kneeling down, unto the Lord did pray

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
For Jesus Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray





O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Priests' song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" convey a message of hope and joy during the Christmas season. The first verse reminds listeners that the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior, is a reason to be merry and not to be discouraged. The second verse recalls the story of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, emphasizing the miraculous nature of his birth in Bethlehem. The final verse returns to the theme of the first verse, reiterating the idea that the birth of Jesus saves us from Satan's power and brings comfort and joy to our lives.


At its core, the song speaks to the eternal Christmas message of hope and salvation. It encourages individuals to find comfort in the story of Jesus' birth, and to rejoice in the fact that, through his birth, the world was given a savior. The lyrics capture the essence of the Christmas story in a joyful and uplifting manner, making it a favorite Christmas carol for individuals and groups alike.


Line by Line Meaning

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
Take heart, dear ones, and let no trouble or fear sway you


For Jesus Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas day
On this day, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born to bring us salvation


To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray
His birth is meant to deliver us from the grip of Satan when we went astray from the path of righteousness


O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Joyful news bringing warmth and happiness to our hearts


From God our Heavenly Father, a blessed angel came
An angel of God was sent from heaven for a blessed purpose


And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same
The angel brought glad tidings of the Savior's birth to certain shepherds


How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name
He announced that the Son of God was born in Bethlehem


And when they came to Bethlehem where our dear Savior lay
When they reached Bethlehem where our beloved Savior lay


They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay
They found Him lying in a manger, where oxen usually feed


His Mother Mary kneeling down, unto the Lord did pray
His mother Mary was kneeling down in prayer to the Lord


God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
Take heart, dear ones, and let no trouble or fear sway you


For Jesus Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas day
On this day, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born to bring us salvation


To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray
His birth is meant to deliver us from the grip of Satan when we went astray from the path of righteousness


O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Joyful news bringing warmth and happiness to our hearts




Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

DragonologyDepartment

This is perfect... one of my favorite Christmas carols, but I have such a hard time finding renditions I like lol

Igns Dhon

@PilafiaMadness i love this redition but how about trying "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen - Anderson University Men's Choir" it also great redition

Skull

Same here, a lot of folks try to change the rhythm or just don't have the voice for it.

sharon laduke

As with others, this carol is a favorite of mine. I have listened to 30 versions today, looking for the one in my head (which remains undiscovered - it was certainly recorded prior to the 1990's). This version is a very traditional one. I think it's well done.

Rolnik Aitmatov

wonderfull !

Fliuck

Heavenly simpley heavenly.

Punckey

Subhanallah kardeş ibretlik bir paylaşım.

Tom Livanos

67 likes and zero dislikes? I am not going to add the first dislike but, for goodness sakes, this performance is not that great. As with PilafiaMadness, this is one of my favourite Christmas carols as well. I too have a hard time finding renditions I like. My preference is for deeper voices but, leaving that aside, to me the music is more present than the singing. I like the carol for its words.

Dr Bojangles

I don't know how you can dislike this, the harmonizing in this version is insane

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