The Wexford Carol - Traditional

Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day;
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born.

The night before that happy tide,
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark right well what came to pass
From every door refused, alas!
At length an open door they found
And there they laid Him on the ground.

The King of Glory thus was born,
The world's great light that happy morn.
The shepherds all their flocks did leave
To gaze upon the Child so sweet.
The angels then from heaven came down,
And filled with joy the sleeping town,
And sweetly sang those tidings blest
Which filled each happy heart with rest.

The Wexford Carol lyrics are notable for their length and theological depth covering the journey to Bethlehem the stable and the angels message. The song is traditionally sung in a slow meditative style reflecting its ancient roots in County Wexford. It calls for listeners to behold the babe in the manger laid. By singing the Wexford Carol lyrics believers connect with a millennium of Irish faith and music finding a space for quiet contemplation on the wondrous thing that occurred when God entered human history to redeem the world through the infant Jesus.