Scripture Verse

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Introduction

Words: Ma­rie Ma­son, in The Song Gar­den, Book 2, by Lo­well Ma­son (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Ol­iv­er Dit­son, 1864), page 189.

Music: Anonymous, in The Song Gar­den, 1864 (🔊 pdf nwc) (re­peats last three lines of each verse).

If you know the com­pos­er, or have ac­cess to a good pic­ture of Ma­rie Ma­son (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

illustration

Ring, mer­ry, mer­ry bells,
The Christ­mas morn!
Ring out a joy­ous peal!
The Sav­ior comes,
The Christ is born!
He comes to save and heal.

Ring, mer­ry, mer­ry bells,
O’er all the land,
By hall and cot­tage fires—
Let ev­ery home
And house­hold band
Hear mu­sic from your spires.

Ring, mer­ry, mer­ry bells!
There com­eth here
The won­drous Truth, at last;
By an­cient king
And king­ly seer,
So longed for, ag­es past.

Ring, mer­ry, mer­ry bells!
Let hill and vale,
Through all the fest­al day—
In notes of joy
Repeat the tale
Of Christ, the Liv­ing Way.

Ring, mer­ry, mer­ry bells!
Our hea­vy load
We lay, re­joic­ing, down;
For by His cross
We gain the road
To our eter­nal crown.

Ring, mer­ry, mer­ry bells!
Your car­ols pour—
Nor let your glad­ness cease;
The Won­der­ful!
The Coun­sel­or!
The migh­ty Prince of Peace!