On Christmas Night

For Christmas

Words: On Christmas Night All Christians Sing, Attributed to Bishop Luke Waddinge (1628- ca. 1691), Bishop of Ferns, Ireland
A Smale Garland of Pious and Godly Songs (Ghent, 1684)

This is one of many variants of this carol;
See On Christmas Night - Notes and On Christmas Night - Sheet Music.

Four verses of 4 lines.

This version noted from Mr. William Bayliss of Buckland (Gloucestershire)

 Music: English Traditional
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / XML / PDF

Source: Cecil J. Sharp, English Folk-Carols (London: Novello & Co., Ltd., 1911)

1. On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear what news those angels bring;
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our Saviour King's own birth.

2. Then why should men on earth be so sad?
Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from sin He set us free
All for to gain our liberty.

3. Now sin depart, behold His grace,
Everlasting life comes in its place,
And soon we shall its terror see
And poor and rich must conquered be.

4. Then out of darkness we see light,
Which makes all angels to sing this night:
Glory to God and peace to men
Both now and evermore. Amen.

Sheet Music From Sharp
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / XML / PDF

Notes from Sharp:

Sung by Mr. William Bayliss of Buckland (Gloucestershire).

No alteration has been made in the words. The carol, set to a modern tune, is published in Bramley and Stainer’s collection [On Christmas Night-Bramley and Stainer]; while three traditional versions are printed in The Folk-Song Society’s Journal (II, pp. 126-7). The words are on a broadside by Batchelar; see On Christmas Night - The Batchelar Broadside.

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