One in Faith ‎#394

394. Once in Royal David's City

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, the scorned, the lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

3 For he is our lifelong pattern;
Daily, when on earth he grew,
He was tempted, scorned, rejected,
Tears and smiles like us he knew:
Thus he feels for all our sadness,
And he shares in all our gladness.

4 And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love,
For that child who seemed so helpless
Is the Lord in heav'n above:
And he leads his children on
To the place where he has gone.

5 Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing round,
We shall see him, but in heaven,
Where his saints his throne surround:
Christ, revealed to faithful eye,
Set at God's right hand on high.

Text Information

• First Line: Once in royal David's city
• Title: Once in Royal David's City
• Author: Cecil F. Alexander, 1818-1898 (alt.)
• Meter: 87 87 77
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 2015
• Topic: Christmas

Tune Information

• Name: IRBY
• Composer: Henry J. Gauntlett, 1805-1876
• Meter: 87 87 77
• Key: F Major or modal