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.

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 Savior Holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly Maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

Jesus is our childhood's pattern;
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.

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.

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;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

Information

MIDI from the Cyber Hymnal
info from Central Valley Christian School

Ireland, 1848-49
Words: Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander, 1848.

Music: "Irby," Henry John Gauntlett, 1849.

Cecil Alexander is probably most famous for her Hymns for Little
Children written in 1848. As for me, the hymn that comes to mind is
All Creatures Great and Small, if not because I have sung it so much,
because I read the whole series of books, named after her verses, about
the Yorkshire vet, James Herriot, who was so moved by her song! Yes,
that was a great hymn. However, we should not neglect her great
Christmas hymn: Once In Royal David's City.
Cecil Alexander's husband was Archbishop William Alexander who was the
Anglican primate for Ireland. Born in 1818, Mrs. Alexander died in
1895 after a productive life of writing Christian lyrics. I am afraid
that his wife's reputation has out distanced the honorable archbishop!

Mrs. Alexander wrote the lyrics in 1848. It was put to the music of
Henry John Gauntlett in 1849. --- by Bill Drennon, Central Valley
Christian School, Visalia, CA