Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him,
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty --
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk,
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him whom Angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and Archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and Seraphim
Thronged the air;
But only His Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshiped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him
Poor as I am? --
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,--
Yet what I can I give Him, --
Give my heart.
Gustav Holst version for Choir:
Harold Darke version Soprano and Tenor soli and choir:
The printed music scrolls along with the sound in this clip
Pop singers also love this song. Here is a James Taylor version of the song which keeps the same basic tune but adds a pop aesthetic under it with a drum set and some guitar and piano riffs. (One of the best things about this tune is that it still holds up under this kind of change!)
James Taylor:
The song also sounds great in a sort of country-celtic-bluegrass kind of feel. Fionnula O'Donnovan changes the tune a bit but it is still recognizable as the original tune.
Fionnula O'Donnovan:
The tune also works in a sort of indie singer-songwriter aesthetic. Here is Corrine May's version.
Corrine May:
