SDA Hymnal 149
Once in Royal David's City
Words: Cecil Frances AlexanderMusic: Henry J. GauntlettTune: Irby8.7.8.7.7.7
1Once 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.
2He 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.
3And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly mother
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
4And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above:
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
- Music
- Henry J. Gauntlett
- Tune
- Irby
- Meter
- 8.7.8.7.7.7
- Scripture
- Luke 2:1-20
The verse
- Meter
- 8.7.8.7.7.7 · as printed
- Foot
- trochaic (DUM-da) · 71% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABCBDD
Could also be sung to Unser Herrscher · same meter and stresses; not printed with these words, so try it first.
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary · * a word sung short, as “heav’n”
Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.