God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

378 God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

1 God rest you merry, gentlemen,
   let nothing you dismay,
   remember Christ our Savior
   was born on Christmas Day
   to save us all from Satan's pow'r
   when we were gone astray.

Refrain:
   O tidings of comfort and joy,
   comfort and joy;
   O tidings of comfort and joy.

2 From God our heav'nly Father
   a blessed angel came
   and unto certain shepherds
   brought tidings of the same;
   how that in Bethlehem was born
   the Son of God by name. [Refrain]

3 "Fear not," then said the angel,
   "Let nothing you affright;
   this day is born a Savior
   of a pure virgin bright,
   to free all those who trust in Him
   from Satan's pow'r and might." [Refrain]

4 The shepherds at those tidings
   rejoiced much in mind,
   and left their flocks afeeding,
   in tempest, storm, and wind,
   and went to Bethlehem straightway,
   this blessed Babe to find. [Refrain]

5 Now to the Lord sing praises
   all you within this place,
   and with true love and brotherhood
   each other now embrace;
   this holy tide of Christmas
   all other doth deface. [Refrain]
                         18th century trad. English Carol
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Amazingly, this is only in about 120 hymnals. Everytime I see or hear this carol, I think of the Barry McGuire version w/his gruff voice. Oh, and note the punctuation. It's God rest you merry and then gentlemen; the gentlemen aren't merry. They are supposed to rest in the joy that God brings.
</idle musing>