Once in Royal David's City

from Christemasse by David Krienke

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about

"Once In Royal David's City" is a Christmas carol originally written as a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander.
The carol was first published in 1848 in Miss Cecil Humphreys' hymnbook "Hymns for Little Children". A year later, the English organist Henry John Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music.

lyrics

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.

For He 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 Heav’n 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.

credits

from Christemasse, released December 12, 2010
Public Domain
words by Cecil F. Alexander & music by Henry J. Gauntlett

license

about

David Krienke Elkhart, Indiana

Born into a family of Gospel singers & musicians in South Bend, Indiana, David began singing & playing the piano as a small child.
In the 1970's, his musical style was shaped by the acoustic rock artists of the time - and in the 1980's David played the local nightclub circuit as keyboardist/singer with the band Justus.
But God comes in places unlooked for - unexpectedly. ... more