It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Words by Edmund Sears, 1849.
Music by Richard s. Willis, 1850.
Sam Phillips/Bruce Cockburn arrangement
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heav'n's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing;
And ever o'er its Babel sound
The blessed angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong
And man at war with man hears not
The love song which they bring
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Take heart for comfort love and hope
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing.
For lo, the days are hastening,
By prophet bards foretold,
When, with the ever-circling years,
Comes round the age of gold,
When peace shall over all the earth
It’s ancient splendours fling
and the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
credits
from A Rite for Advent,
released November 28, 2010
Wade- lead vocals, steel string guitar, violin
Christa Wells- background vocals
Dale Baker- drums and percussion
Tim Carless- electric guitar
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