ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY

[1]
Once in royal David's city
stood a lowly cattle-shed
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

[2]
He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was, a stall;
with the poor and mean and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

[3]
And through all his wondrous childhood
day by day like us he grew;
he was little, weak, and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew;
and he feeleth for our sadness,
and he shareth in our gladness.

[4]
And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love,
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heaven above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

[5]
Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see him: but in heaven,
set at God's right hand on high
when, like stars, his children crowned
all in white shall gather round.