Text:Once in Royal David's City
Author:Cecil Frances Alexander
Tune:IRBY
Composer:Henry John Gauntlett
Composer (Descant):David Willcocks
Harmonizer:Arthur Henry Mann

62. 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, with God is over all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall.
There among the poor and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

3 For he is our lifelong pattern;
daily, when on earth he grew;
he was tempted, scorned, rejected,
tears and smiles like us he knew.
Thus he feels for all our sadness,
and he shares in all our gladness.

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

Text Information
First Line: Once in royal David's city
Title: Once in Royal David's City
Author: Cecil Frances Alexander (1848, alt.)
Meter: 8 7 8 7 7 7
Language: English
Publication Date: 1996
Topic: The Christian Year: C; Annunciation; Biblical Characters: David (22 more...)
Tune Information
Name: IRBY
Composer: Henry John Gauntlett (1849)
Harmonizer: Arthur Henry Mann
Composer (Descant): David Willcocks (1970)
Meter: 8 7 8 7 7 7
Key: F Major
Copyright: Descant copyright © Oxford University Press 1970.



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