Rejoice in the Lord ‎#201

201. 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 and meek and lowly
lived on earth our Savior holy.

3 Jesus is our childhood's pattern,
day by day like us he grew;
he was little, weak, and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew:
and he feeleth for our sadness,
and he shareth in our gladness.

4 And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love,
for that Child, so dear and gentle,
is our Lord in heav'n above,
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

5 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, like stars, his children crowned,
all in white shall wait around.

Text Information

• First Line: Once in royal David's city
• Title: Once in Royal David's City
• Author: Cecil Frances Alexander (1848)
• Meter: 8.7.8.7.77
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1985
• Topic: Biblical Characters: David; Biblical Characters: Mary; Children: Hymns for

Tune Information

• Name: IRBY
• Composer: H. J. Gauntlett (1858)
• Harmonizer: A. H. Mann (1919)
• Meter: 8.7.8.7.77
• Key: F Major