Although most of the lyrics to O Holy Night are both poetic and profound, the second verse - which many modern versions of the song leave out - doesn't quite seem to fit:
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming Here come the wise men from the Orient land The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger In all our trials born to be our friend He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger Behold your King, before Him lowly bend Behold your King, before Him lowly bend
Between the vague references to faith and light, and the term "Orient," which isn't used much anymore, we decided to write a new second verse for the song. Here's what we wrote, based on the incarnation of Jesus and His purpose in coming:
Light of the world, through virgin birth appearing The Word made flesh, God as man here to dwell Join in the song with heav’n and earth revering His holy light, all our fears to dispel The Mighty God before us in a manger Here among us to save the souls of men Worship the King, sing praises to our Savior Of grace and truth His reign shall have no end Of grace and truth His reign shall have no end
Our musical arrangement is very close to the original, but we added a few new touches, including a piano intro and a simple flute interlude. The original words were written by Placide Cappeau and translated by John S. Dwight, and the original music was written by Adolph Adam. Both the original words and music are Public Domain.
O, holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees, o, hear the angel voices
O, night divine, o, night when Christ was born
O, night divine, o, night, o, night divine
Light of the world, through virgin birth appearing
The Word made flesh, God as man here to dwell
Join in the song with heav'n and earth revering
His holy light, all our fears to dispel
The mighty God before us in a manger
Here among us to save the souls of men
Worship the King, sing praises to our Savior
Of grace and truth His reign shall have no end
Of grace and truth His reign shall have no end
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord, o, praise His name forever
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
We didn't write this song, so we can't speak directly to the verses that inspired it. However, the overall theme of the song is the angels announcing the birth of Christ:
Luke 2:8 - 11
Our new second verse draws from the following verses, among others: