She brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
Words: Elizabeth K. Boss, In a Manger Laid, Nazarene Messenger, volume 12, number 25, 1907, page 14.
Music: Naperville Emanuel Poppen, in Primary School Carols (Columbus, Ohio: Lutheran Book Concern, 1914), number 5 (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a good photo of Boss or Poppen (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
Just a little baby,
In a manger laid,
Cattle all around Him,
Yet He’s not afraid.
God is watching o’er Him,
Angels hover round,
Wise men came and worshiped,
Bowing to the ground.
Spreading gifts before Him,
Frankincense and gold,
Things a tiny baby
Surely couldn’t hold.
Just the sweetest baby,
Mother ever won,
Yet the Lord of glory,
God’s belovèd Son.