Song # 16 - It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

December 16

Song #16

"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"

New challenge:

I could have just copied/pasted the lyrics, but instead, I chose to type them out myself. It turns out this is a great way to make sure I really know the words. It also shows me how many phrases I usually just glaze over without stopping to ask what they mean. For example, what on earth are cloven skies? No earthly idea. No heavenly idea, for that matter. (Ha! I crack myself up.) Well, as it turns out, it's a combination of both. Thanks to the folks over at Mental_Floss, I was able to learn this little tidbit:

"Still through the cloven skies they come," from "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." If you're like me, your first thought goes to "cloven hooves" and you wonder what that has to do with the birth of Jesus. The reason they're called cloven hooves is because cloven means split or parted - the song is referring to the parting of the clouds in the skies for angels to come down and sing."

Glad we got that cleared up! Now, here you go. Hand-typed lyrics just for you.

It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old, 

from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold:

"Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all gracious King."

The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurled,

and still their heavenly music floats o'er all the weary world;

above its sad and lowly plains, they bend on hovering wing,

and ever o'er its Babel sounds, the blessed angels sing.

And ye, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low,

who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,

look now! for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing

O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hastening on, by prophet seen of old,

when with the ever circling years shall come the time foretold

when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling,

and the whole world send back the song which now the angels sing.

This isn't the original hymn. The verses about war generally tend to be omitted. But isn't it amazing that a song written in the 1800's can still seem so relevant? We still need peace on earth just as much now as we did then.

It came upon the midnight clear - Frank Sinatra  Spotify  YouTube