Away in a Manger
William James Kirkpatrick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay
The little lord Jesus asleep in the hay
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
Be near me Lord Jesus I ask you to stay
Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray
Bless all the dear children in your tender care
And fit us for heaven, to live with you there
The carol "Away In a Manger" is a description of the birth of Jesus Christ. It portrays a humble birth in a barn, with little luxuries for the newborn. The first stanza describes the environment of the birthplace, where the baby’s bed was a manger, typically a container that livestock use to eat their food, due to the absence of a crib. The second line implies that the child is the Lord, Jesus, indicating his divine birth. The following line reinforces the significance of Jesus's birth as the presence of the stars in the sky, which the lyrics suggest, are looking down at him.
In the second stanza, the image of the cattle lowing brings a contradiction, as they are normally noisy animals, which disrupt the silence of the night. However, in this instance, the baby’s presence silences the normally loud animals. Presumably, the baby is so calm that He does not cry, which is an unusual quality, and this emphasized to support the belief that the child is the Lord, and He is incapable of crying. The next few lines express the singer's love for Him, and they request that He stay by their side till morning.
The third stanza is a request to the Lord to be a permanent companion and to love the singer eternally. The singer undoubtedly prays to be blessed along with all the children, who are already in the Lord's care. The last line is a petition for God to help them prepare for heaven so that they may all be with Him one day.
Overall, the carol Away in a Manger, expresses the intense need of personal interaction with Jesus Christ, and the request for His guidance towards salvation. It gives a vivid description of the surroundings of Jesus's birthplace and emphasizes His divine nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
He was born in a humble place, there was no grand bed for Him to lie in.
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head
The infant Lord Jesus lay down His head to rest.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay
Even the stars in the sky were drawn to the place where Jesus lay.
The little lord Jesus asleep in the hay
The baby Jesus slept in the hay, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of the animals.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
The cattle were making noise, waking the baby Jesus.
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes
Despite being awakened, Jesus did not cry.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
The singer loves Jesus and asks Him to look down on them from heaven.
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh
The artist asks Jesus to stay with them until the morning comes.
Be near me Lord Jesus I ask you to stay
The artist asks Jesus to be close to them and to stay with them.
Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray
The artist asks Jesus to be by their side always and to love them.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care
The singer asks Jesus to bless all the children who are under His gentle and loving care.
And fit us for heaven, to live with you there
The artist asks Jesus to prepare them for heaven, so they can live with Him there.
Contributed by Zoe N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Christian Hymns Time -Hymns And Classical Archives
Hi John,
Thank you for this. You are the Best conductor! - God bless you more