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 is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall.
With the poor and meek and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

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

4 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 his children gather round,
bright like stars, with glory crowned.