English

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Tune
CAROL
Composer
Richard Storrs Willis
Copyright
✓ Public Domain Verified
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Verse 1

It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth, To touch their harps of gold: 'Peace on the earth, good-will to men, From heaven's all-gracious King;' The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.

Verse 2

Still through the cloven skies they come, With peaceful wings unfurled; And still their heavenly music floats O'er all the weary world: Above its sad and lowly plains They bend on heavenly wing, And ever o'er its Babel sounds The blessed angels sing.

Verse 3

And ye, beneath life's crushing load, Whose forms are bending low, Who toil along the climbing way, With painful steps and slow,— Look now, for glad and golden hours Come swiftly on the wing; O rest beside the weary road, And hear the angels sing!

Verse 4

For lo! the days are hastening on, By prophet-bards foretold, When with the ever-circling years Comes round the age of gold; When peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendors fling, And the whole world give back the song Which now the angels sing.

Christmas

Public Domain Information

Text
Public Domain
Tune
Not verified (melody not provided)
Verified
October 3, 2026
Verification sources

Public Domain status verified for the listed text/source.

Rights & Sources
Text Rights
Public Domain The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920), hymn no. 33, scan page 60 (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Army_and_Navy_Hymnal.djvu/60). Credit as printed: Edmund H. Sears, 1849. Text author: Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810–1876; dates from Wikidata Q5339812, linked from the Wikisource author page). Published in the United States before 1931 and the author died more than 70 years ago (1876): public domain.
Tune Rights
Not verified — not provided
Translation Rights
Not applicable (original-language text)
Arrangement Rights
No BibleSlide arrangement provided
Recording Rights
No recording provided
Score / sheet music Rights
No sheet music provided

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