What Child Is This Lyrics William Chatterton Dix, 1865
Sung to Greensleeves (8.7.8.7.6.8.6.7), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. What Child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King;
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Verse 2. Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading:
Nails, spear, shall pierce Him through,
The Cross be borne, for me, for you:
Hail, hail, the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Verse 3. So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant, King to own Him;
The King of kings, salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise, the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Where each verse comes from
The selected text has a US witness in Carols Old and Carols New (Boston, 1916), carol 402; each stanza retains its own ending. Earlier editions document the text's history. Capitalization and punctuation follow the page's earlier copy text.
| Verse | Printed in |
|---|---|
| 1 What Child is this, who, laid to rest |
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| 2 Why lies He in such mean estate |
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| 3 So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh |
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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: William Chatterton Dix, 1865. Public domain.
The hymn library's slide and print features are made by Church Posting.
The story behind What Child Is This
William Chatterton Dix worked in marine insurance in Glasgow. Bramley and Stainer published his carol in the first series of Christmas Carols New and Old in 1868.
Dix asks who the sleeping child is and answers that he is Christ the King. In the second stanza he looks ahead to the nails, spear, and cross.
The third stanza invites peasant and king to bring gifts and worship. Many churches sing the first stanza's ending as a refrain after every stanza. Dix gave each stanza its own ending, and this page prints all three.
William Chatterton Dix
1837 to 1898
William Chatterton Dix was an English hymn writer. He worked in marine insurance in Glasgow. He wrote What Child Is This? and As with Gladness Men of Old.
- What child is this / Greensleeves, Hymnology Archive , read 2026-10-23
- Christmas Carols New and Old, First Series , read 2026-10-23
- Christmas Carols New and Old, First Series , read 2026-10-23
- Christmas Carols New and Old, illustrated edition , read 2026-10-23
- Luke 2 (King James Version) , read 2026-10-23
- Matthew 2 (King James Version) , read 2026-10-23
- John 1 (King James Version) , read 2026-10-23
Scripture in What Child Is This
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- Luke 2:7-20 In verse 1 of the hymn
- John 1:14 In verse 2 of the hymn
- Matthew 2:11 In verse 3 of the hymn
What Child Is This videos
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What Child Is This The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge - Topic, Choir
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What Child is This? Ex Cathedra, Choir
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BYU Vocal Point - What Child Is This? BYUVocalPointVEVO, A cappella
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 What Child Is This Every verse. Full screen, or a PowerPoint file that ProPresenter and Keynote open.
- Printable song sheet Every verse of What Child Is This on a folded letter-size booklet, with your church's name on the cover.
- Add it to a bulletin Opens the bulletin maker with What Child Is This in the order of service.
Questions people ask
Who wrote What Child Is This?
William Chatterton Dix wrote the words. John Stainer arranged the traditional GREENSLEEVES melody for their early publication.
When was What Child Is This written?
The words are usually dated 1865. They were first printed with GREENSLEEVES in Christmas Carols New and Old in 1868.
How many verses does it have?
Dix's text has three eight-line stanzas with different endings.
What does mean estate mean?
It refers to the humble circumstances of Jesus' birth. Dix then speaks of Christ's suffering and his work for sinners.
Which Bible passages connect with the hymn?
Luke 2 describes the birth and shepherds, Matthew 2:11 names the gifts, and John 1:14 identifies the Word made flesh.
Is this text public domain?
Yes. All three stanzas were printed in 1868, so they are in the public domain in the United States. A recent arrangement can carry its own copyright.
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