Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14
Christmas Song Lyrics Compiled by Charles P. Scott
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Lyrics
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see the lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And peace to men on earth
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven
No ear may hear his coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in
Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child
Where misery cries out to thee
Son of the mother mild
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks
And Christmas comes once more
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born in us to-day
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
About This Song
One of the best-known hymns of the Christmas season, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” originated in 1868 as a poem written for the Sunday School of the Church of the Holy Trinity on Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. The words by Rector Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) and music by church organist Lewis H. Redner (1831-1908) resonated themes of stillness and peace in the aftermath of the Civil War.
