Silent Night Lyrics Joseph Mohr, translated by John Freeman Young, 1859
Sung to Stille Nacht, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Verse 2. Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from Heaven afar,
Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born!
Christ, the Saviour is born!
Verse 3. Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy Holy Face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy Birth!
Where each verse comes from
These are John Freeman Young's three English stanzas from Carols for Christmas Tide (1859). The page preserves their order and wording, apart from punctuation.
| Verse | Printed in |
|---|---|
| 1 Silent night! Holy night! |
Young translated German stanza 1 here. |
| 2 Silent night! Holy night! |
Young translated German stanza 6 here. |
| 3 Silent night! Holy night! |
Young translated German stanza 2 here. |
Left out here: stanza 3, “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Die der Welt Heil gebracht,” , stanza 4, “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Wo sich heut alle Macht” and stanza 5, “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Lange schon uns bedacht,” . Mohr wrote six German stanzas. Young did not translate this stanza in his three-stanza English version. Young did not include this German stanza.
Every verse was published before 1931, so the words are in the public domain in the United States. Your church may print, project and sing this text. Later arrangements and recordings have their own rights.
Words: Joseph Mohr, translated by John Freeman Young, 1859. Public domain.
The hymn library's slide and print features are made by Church Posting.
The story behind Silent Night
Joseph Mohr wrote the German poem in 1816 while he was assistant priest at Mariapfarr. In 1817 he moved to Oberndorf and met Franz Xaver Gruber, the schoolteacher at Arnsdorf and organist at St. Nicholas Church. Gruber's letter of 30 December 1854 says Mohr handed him the poem on 24 December 1818 and asked for music for two solo voices, choir and guitar. Gruber wrote the setting that evening, and it was sung at the Christmas Eve service.
The carol spread with traveling singers from the Tyrol. John Freeman Young, then curate of Trinity Church in New York, published the English text in Carols for Christmas Tide in 1859. His three stanzas follow the German stanzas 1, 6 and 2. The story that the organ broke that night is later tradition. The organ at St. Nicholas was in chronic disrepair, so the guitar setting was not a sudden emergency.
Joseph Mohr
1792 to 1848
Joseph Mohr was born in Salzburg in 1792 and ordained a Catholic priest in 1815. He wrote the German text of Silent Night in 1816 while serving at Mariapfarr. In 1817 he became assistant priest at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, where he asked Franz Xaver Gruber to set the poem to music for Christmas Eve 1818. He died in 1848.
Franz Xaver Gruber
1787 to 1863
Franz Xaver Gruber was born in 1787 in Austria. He taught school at Arnsdorf and served as organist at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf. In 1818 he set Joseph Mohr's poem to music for two solo voices, choir and guitar. His letter of 1854 describes the Christmas Eve performance. He died in 1863.
- Hymnology Archive, Stille Nacht / Silent Night , read 2026-10-22
- Carols for Christmas Tide, 1859, page scan , read 2026-10-22
Scripture in Silent Night
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Luke 2:8-20
- John 3:16
- Titus 2:11
Silent Night videos
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Silent Night | The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Choir
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Silent Night The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Choir
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Silent Night The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge - Topic, Choir
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Print and project
For Sunday
- Slides for Silent Night Every verse. Full screen, or a PowerPoint file that ProPresenter and Keynote open.
- Printable song sheet Every verse of Silent Night on a folded letter-size booklet, with your church's name on the cover.
- Add it to a bulletin Opens the bulletin maker with Silent Night in the order of service.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Silent Night?
Joseph Mohr wrote the German text in 1816. Franz Xaver Gruber wrote the music for Christmas Eve 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf. John Freeman Young published the English translation in 1859.
How many verses does Silent Night have?
The German poem has six stanzas. Young's English translation, first printed in 1859, has three stanzas that follow the German stanzas 1, 6 and 2.
What tune is Silent Night sung to?
The tune is STILLE NACHT, written by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818 for two solo voices, choir and guitar.
Is Silent Night in the public domain?
Yes. Mohr wrote the German text in 1816 and Gruber wrote the tune in 1818. Young's English translation was published in 1859.
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