There was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
Words: A. L. Skilton, refrain by R. Kelso Carter, 1891. Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson recorded this song on her 1955 album Mahalia Sings Songs of Christmas.
Music: Carter E. Grace Updegraff (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know Skilton’s full name, or where to get a good photo of him or Updegraff (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
No beautiful chamber, no soft cradle bed,
No place but a manger, nowhere for His head;
No praises of gladness, no thought of their sin,
No glory but sadness, no room in the inn.
Refrain
No room, no room, for Jesus,
O give Him welcome free,
Lest you should hear at Heaven’s gate,
There is no room for thee.
No sweet consecration, no seeking His part,
No humiliation, no place in the heart;
No thought of the Savior, no sorrow for sin,
No prayer for His favor, no room in the inn.
Refrain
No one to receive Him, no welcome while here,
No balm to relieve Him, no staff but a spear;
No seeking His treasure, no weeping for sin,
No doing His pleasure, no room in the inn.
Refrain
