Once In Royal David's City
The Church of the Holy Nativity, Panama City, Florida
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
He would honor and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly maiden
In whose gentle arms he lay;
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as he.
Day by day like us he grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us he knew;
And he feeleth for our sadness,
And he shareth in our gladness.
Through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heav'n above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned,
All in white shall wait around.
"Irby" composed for this hymn by Henry Gauntlett, 1849
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 2010 On YouTube from the BBC