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Music Education
Resources by Paula Downes, a lot of music by Andrew Downes

Watch all our Christmas Carol Videos on one continuous playlist:

Lyrics

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle 'til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there.

Activities

Sing this song as you rock your child to sleep, or encourage your child to rock his/her doll as they sing.

This is a lovely song for a child to sing to their family at Christmas time!

Design and make a Christmas Card based on this Carol.

History

The first two verses of this carol were first published in 1885 in a Lutheran Sunday School book compiled by James R. Murray (1841-1905).  The third verse was written by John T. McFarland in 1904.  It was later given the subtitle, Luther's Cradle Hymn, which led many to believe that Martin Luther had written it, but this is probably not the case.  The music used in the video is the UK/English version of the hymn, and was originally called Cradle Song.  It was written by William J. Kirkpatrick and was first published in 1895.

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Music Education
Resources by Paula Downes, a lot of music by Andrew Downes

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