In the field with their flocks abid­ing,
They lay on the dewy ground;
And glim­mer­ing under the star­light,
The sheep lay white around;
When the light of the Lord streamed o’er them,
And lo! from hea­ven above,
An an­gel leaned from the glo­ry,
And sang his song of love.
He sang, that first sweet Christ­mas,
The song that shall ne­ver cease.

Refrain

Glory to God in the high­est,
On earth good will and peace.

To you in the ci­ty of Da­vid
A Sav­ior is born to­day!
And sud­den a host of the hea­ven­ly ones
Flashed forth to join the lay.
O ne­ver hath sweet­er mes­sage
Thrilled home to the souls of men
And the hea­vens them­selves had ne­ver heard
A glad­der choir till then.
For they sang that Christ­mas car­ol
That ne­ver on earth shall cease.

Refrain

And the shep­herds came to the man­ger,
And gazed on the ho­ly Child;
And calm­ly o’er that rude cra­dle
The vir­gin mo­ther smiled;
And the sky in the star­lit si­lence,
Seemed full of the an­gel lay:
To you in the ci­ty of Da­vid
A Sav­ior is born to­day!
O they sang, and we pray that ne­ver
The car­ol on earth shall cease.

Refrain