Appalachia, Collected by John Jacob Niles
The musical arrangement published by G. Schirmer is distributed by
Hal Leonard Corporation,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
1. Jesus the Christ is born,
Give thanks now, every one.
Rejoice, ye great ones and ye small,
God's will, hit has been done.
2. Ye mighty kings of earth,
Before the manger bed,
Cast down, cast down your golden crown
From off your royal head.
3. For in this lowly guise
The son of God do sleep,
And see the Queen of Heaven kneel,
Her faithful vigil keep.
4. Two angels at His head,
Two angels at His feet
Beside His bed the flower red,
Perfuming there so sweet.
5. Jesus the Christ is born,
Give thanks now, every one.
Rejoice, ye great ones and ye small,
God's will, hit has been done.
According to Niles' notes, this song was recorded near Pitman Center, Sevier County, Tennessee, in June, 1934.
Editor's Note: Concerning the angels at the head and feet in verse 4, compare The Children's Prayer, from the opera Hansel and Gretel by Englebert Humperdinck (the original one).
