Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 1998, Keith released his breakthrough single "How Do You Like Me Now?!" in late 1999. This song, the title track to his 1999 album of the same name, was the #1 country song of 2000, and one of several chart-toppers during his tenure on DreamWorks Nashville. His next three albums, Pull My Chain, Unleashed, and Shock'n Y'all, produced three more #1's each, and all of the albums were certified 4× Platinum. A second Greatest Hits package followed in 2004, and after that, he released Honkytonk University.
When DreamWorks closed in 2005, Keith founded the label Show Dog Nashville, which merged with Universal South Records to become Show Dog-Universal Music in December 2009. He has released ten studio albums through Show Dog/Show Dog-Universal: 2006's White Trash with Money, 2007's Big Dog Daddy, 2008's That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy, 2009's American Ride, 2010's Bullets in the Gun, 2011's Clancy's Tavern, 2012's Hope on the Rocks, 2013's Drinks After Work, 2015's 35 MPH Town, 2017's The Bus Songs, and 2021's Peso in My Pocket, as well as the compilation 35 Biggest Hits in 2008. Keith also made his acting debut in 2006, starring in the film Broken Bridges, and co-starred with comedian Rodney Carrington in the 2008 film Beer for My Horses, inspired by his song of the same name. On February 5th, 2024, Toby passed away from a 3 year battle with Stomach Cancer.
Away In a Manger
Toby Keith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the heavens
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle
Till morning is nigh
Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray!
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And fit us for Heaven
To live with Thee there
Away in a manger
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the heavens
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
The lyrics to "Away in a Manger" speak of the birth of Jesus Christ. The song describes the humble setting of Jesus' birth, with no proper crib for Him to lay in, but rather a makeshift bed of hay. The stars above looked down at the little baby Jesus, as did the animals in the manger. The song emphasizes the peaceful and quiet nature of Jesus, as even when He wakes up and the cattle are lowing, He does not cry like other babies would. The song also expresses reverence and love for Jesus, with the singer asking Him to stay close by forever and bless all children.
The first verse of the song focuses on the circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth. The second verse is a prayer of love and devotion to Jesus, asking Him to stay close and bring blessings to all children. The final verse reiterates that Jesus slept on the hay, and asks Him to prepare and fit us for Heaven to live with Him there.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger
The baby was born in a simple and humble place
No crib for His bed
There was no proper bed for the baby to rest
The little Lord Jesus
The son of God, who had taken on human form, was born
Laid down His sweet head
The baby was peacefully sleeping with his head resting
The stars in the heavens
The celestial bodies high up in the sky
Looked down where He lay
The stars were shining and watching the baby sleep
The little Lord Jesus
The baby born on this special occasion
Asleep on the hay
The baby was comfortably laying down on the bundle of dried grass
The cattle are lowing
The cows and other animals were making noise
The poor Baby wakes
The newborn wakes up due to the sounds made by the animals
But little Lord Jesus
The divine baby did not cry
No crying He makes
The baby was peaceful and calm despite waking up
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
The writer expresses his love for the newborn, who was the son of God
Look down from the sky
The writer asks the God's son to look down at him from the heavens
And stay by my cradle
The writer asks the divine child to be with him at his crib
Till morning is nigh
The writer wants the divine child to stay with him until morning comes
Be near me, Lord Jesus
The writer asks the divine child to be close to him
I ask Thee to stay
The writer is requesting the divine child to stay with him
Close by me forever
The writer wants the divine to always remain close to him
And love me I pray!
The writer requests to be loved by the divine child
Bless all the dear children
The writer wants all children to be blessed
In Thy tender care
The writer desires God's care to fall on all children
And fit us for Heaven
The writer desires to attain heaven
To live with Thee there
The writer wants to live with the divine in heaven
Away in a manger
The new-born baby was sleeping in a simple cradle with dried grass
No crib for His bed
There was no proper bed for the baby to rest
The little Lord Jesus
The son of God, born on earth in a human form
Laid down His sweet head
The baby was sleeping calmly with his head resting
The stars in the heavens
The celestial bodies high up in the sky
Looked down where He lay
The stars were shining and watching the baby sleep
The little Lord Jesus
The son of God, born on this special occasion
Asleep on the hay
The baby was comfortably laying down on the bundle of dried grass
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: William J. Kirkpatrick, Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind