God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
Words by Traditional English carol, 1833.
Verse 1. God rest you merry, Gentlemen!
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray.
Refrain O tidings of comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Verse 2. In Bethlehem in Jury
This blessèd Babe was born,
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessèd morn:
The which His Mother Mary
Nothing did take in scorn.
Verse 3. From God, our Heavenly Father,
A blessèd angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name.
Verse 4. “Fear not,” then said the angel,
“Let nothing you affright:
This day is born a Saviour
Of virtue, power, and might;
So frequently to vanquish all
The friends of Satan quite.”
Verse 5. The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm, and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway
This blessèd Babe to find.
Verse 6. But when to Bethlehem they came,
Where this dear Infant lay,
They found Him in a manger
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary, kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray.
Verse 7. Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy-tide of Christmas
All others doth efface.
The refrain is sung after each verse.
Text copied from Christmas Carols: Old English Carols for Christmas and Other Festivals (1922). The words were published in 1833, which places them in the public domain in the United States, so your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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