It came upon the midnight clear

It came upon the midnight clear,That glorious song of old,From angels bending near the earthTo touch their harps of gold;"Peace on the earth, good will to men,From heaven's all-gracious King."The world in solemn stillness lay,To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,With peaceful wings unfurled;And still their heavenly music floatsO'er all the weary world:Above its sad and lowly plainsThey bend on hovering wing,And ever o'er its Babel soundsThe blessed angels sing.

But with the woes of sin and strifeThe world has suffered long;Beneath the angel-strain have rolledTwo thousand years of wrong;And man, at war with man, hears notThe love song which they bring:O cease, ye mortals, cease your strife,And hear the angels sing!