God's Dear Son

Version 3

 Words and Music: Traditional, 15th or 16th Century
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF

Source: Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer, Christmas Carols New and Old, Second Series (London: Novello, Ewer & Co., 1871), Carol #29

1. God’s dear Son, without beginning,
    Whom the wicked Jews did scorn;
The only wise, without all sinning,
    On this blessed day was born;
To save us all from sin and thrall,
    When we in Satan’s chains were bound;
And shed His blood to do us good
    With many a purple bleeding wound.

2. Bethlehem, King David's city,
    Birth-place of that Babe we find,
God and Man endued with pity,
    And the Saviour of mankind:
Yet Jewry land, with cruel hand,
    Both first and last His power denied;
When He was born they did Him scorn,
    And shewed Him malice when He died.

3. No princely palace for our Saviour
    In Judea could be found,
But sweet Mary's meek behavior
    Patiently upon the ground
Her Babe did place, in vile disgrace,
    Where oxen in their stalls did feed;
No midwife mild had this sweet Child,
    Nor woman's help at mother's need.

4. No kingly robes nor golden treasure
    Decked the birth-day of God's Son;
No pompous train at all took pleasure
    To the King of kings to run;
No mantle brave could Jesus have
    Upon His cradle cold to tie;
No music's charms in nurse's arms
    To sing that Babe a lullaby.

5. Yet, as Mary sat in solace
    By our Saviour's cradle side,
Hosts of Angels from God's Palace,
    Singing sweet through Heaven so wide:
Yea, Heaven and earth, at Jesu's Birth,
    With sweet melodious tunes abound;
And every thing to Jewry's King,
    Through all the world gives cheerful sound.

6. Now to Him that hath redeemed us
    By His death on holy Rood,
And as sinners so esteemed us,
    As to buy us with His Blood,
Yield lasting fame, that still the Name
    Of Jesus may be honored here;
And let us say that Christmas Day
    Is still the best day in the year.

Sheet Music from Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer, Christmas Carols New and Old (London: Novello, Ewer & Co., ca 1871), Carol #29

See and play the Noteworthy Composer score if you have installed the NoteWorthy Composer Browser Plug-in God's Dear Son Without Beginning - Bramley & Stainer Only tested by Noteworthy for Netscape, Opera, and IE Browsers (Versions 4 or 5) In my experience, it also works with Firefox.

Editor's Note:

Versions of this carol on this web site:

• God's Dear Son Without Beginning - Version 1 - Davies Gilbert

• God's Dear Son - Version 2 - Shaw & Dearmer, The English Carol Book

• God’s Dear Son - Version 3 - Bramley & Stainer (this page)

• God's Dear Son - A Good Christmas Carol

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