Service Book and Hymnal of the Lutheran Church in America ‎#36

36. In the bleak midwinter

1 In the bleak mid-winter,
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.

2 Heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

3 Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Throngèd the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshiped the Belovèd
With a kiss.

4 What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him--
Give my heart.

Text Information

• First Line: In the bleak midwinter
• Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti, 1830 - 94
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1958
• Topic: The Church Year: Christmas
• Copyright: Words by permission of the Macmillan Company.

Tune Information

• Name: CRANHAM
• Composer: Gustav Theodore Holst, 1874 - 1934
• Meter: Irregular
• Key: F Major
• Copyright: Music by permission of the Trustee Dept., Westminster Bank, Ltd.