Dec 09, 20 god rest ye merry, gentlemen, one of the favorite christmas carols in the englishspeaking world, may also be one of the least understood. Thus god rest you merry, gentlemen is not an importuning for god to make the titular gentlemen mighty. Satan is trying everything to devour souls through addictions, breaking up marriages, false peace, and anything that keeps us from god. Being subject to that power and might is, as we are likely to put it. I wanted to find out what rest meant in the old english language. A number of years ago, our friend joseph bottum, editor of first things, made a nice observation about his experiences of successive christmases, one that has stuck in my mind as equally true for me, and perhaps for many of us. Hymn history god rest ye merry, gentlemen maidens for. Lets be real, god rest ye merry gentlemen isnt exactly the happiest sounding christmas song but there is so much history and meaning to this beautiful hymn. The narrator of ernest hemingways god rest you merry, gentlemen 1933 recalls a christmas day earlier in his life when he worked at a hospital in kansas city.
The opening line of the christmas carol god rest ye merry gentlemen means god make you mighty, gentlemen. A slide show featuring images from vintage christmas cards, and various traditional and classic christmas time images, set to a guitar rendition of the traditional english christmas carol, god. God rest ye merry gentlemen is actually an old english phrase which means something entirely different. God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay remember, christ our savior was born on christmas day.
Dec 12, 20 god rest ye merry, gentlemen is one of those. Processional on god rest ye merry gentlemen mormon tabernacle choir duration. Though i thought it for many years, no thanks to dickens, god rest ye merry, gentlemen is not an address to merry gentlemen. God rest ye merry gentlemen sermon by jeff strite, jeremiah. The words of the caroler and the familiar lines of god rest ye merry gentlemen amplify the contrast of bleak and merry men. I have used four out of five of these words fairly regularly in the last year, and im reasonably confident i understand what the fifth means who wouldve guessed gentlemen would be a controversial or archaic term. Just pondering because i was singing the song and realised im not actually sure at all what it means. God rest you merry, gentlemen has a very, very powerful meaning that weve lost. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we were gone astray o tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy o tidings of comfort and joy in bethlehem, in israel, this blessed babe was born and laid within a manger upon this blessed morn the which his mother mary did. Sandy, god rest ye merry, gentlemen is one of the oldest carols sung today, dating back over 500 years. God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember christ our savior was born on christmas day to save us all from satans powr. For example, robin hoods merry men might have been happy, but the merry that described them meant great and mighty. The word rest in god rest ye merry gentlemen simply means keep or make. Original lyrics of he has come for us god rest ye merry gentlemen song by meredith andrews.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen lyrics cedarmont kids. God rest ye merry gentlemen is one of the oldest existing carols, estimated to be from the 16th century or earlier. Nat king cole, god rest ye merry gentlemen 1960, from nats the magic of christmas album. John hunt of qatar today magazine gave the album 910 and said in particular, the vocal work and musical arrangement of god rest ye merry gentlemen are impactful to the point of being intimidating. What are the lyrics for god rest ye merry, gentlemen. God rest ye merry, gentlemen keep believing ministries. The hymn god rest ye merry gentlemen is over 500 years. God rest ye merry, gentlemen first baptist dallas devotions. God rest ye merry gentlemen was written as a reaction to 15th century church music. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we.
Well, when we sing the christmas carol, god rest ye merry, gentlemen, this saying is certainly true. To save us all from satans power when we were gone astray. It is used in many of shakespeares plays, several times. Later in god rest ye merry gentlemen the visiting angel tells the shepherds in the field that christ has come to free all those who trust in him from satans power and might.
In recent years every christmas season has been accompanied a number of stories about. God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay for jesus christ our savior was born upon this day to save us all from satans power when we were gone astray oh tidings of comfort and joy comfort and joy oh tidings of comfort and joy from god our heavenly father a blessed angel came when unto certain shepards brought tidings of the same. Nov 18, 2018 the hymn god rest ye merry gentlemen is over 500 years. God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, for jesus christ our saviour was born upon this day. Nov 30, 2017 god rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember christ our savior was born on christmas day. By extension, if the gentlemen are prosperous and pleasant, the entire household will be the same. In the language of that day rest meant to make and merry meant mighty or powerful. God rest ye merry gentlemen phrase meaning and origin. Truly, this holy tide of christmas all others doth efface. God rest ye merry gentlemen lyrics by christmas carols, 1.
It is not because scrooge was grumpy that the words of the carol are unbefitting. Jan 20, 2012 in the words of john, in the incarnation the word god the son became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth jn. It has been known by different names throughout history, including god bless you, merry gentlemen and god rest ye, merry christians, and even makes an appearance in charles dickens novel, a christmas carol, early on when scrooge is terrifying. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we were gone astray o tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy o tidings of comfort and joy in bethlehem, in israel, this blessed babe was born and laid within a manger upon this blessed morn the which his mother mary did nothing take in scorn o.
God rest you merry and rest you merry was a common form of salutation and farewell in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries among the lower classes. God make you mighty gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. The tabernacle choir at temple square 483,500 views. God rest ye merry, gentlemen, one of the favorite christmas carols in the englishspeaking world, may also be one of the least understood. Im not a feminist, so i view gentlemen as all people. But words change, and when we sing, god rest you merry, gentlemen at least when i sing god rest you merry, gentlemen i have in mind bryn terfel a great welshman of great size, tankard in hand, red cap, singing a little tipsyyou know, that kind of image that sometimes finds its way onto a christmas carol.
An anthology of sacred carols for classical guitar, on eagle masterworks productions. Dec 02, 2014 the word rest in god rest ye merry gentlemen simply means keep or make. Traditional god rest ye merry gentlemen lyrics genius. The earliest known published version of the carol is in a broadside paper dated to 1760. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we were gone astray o tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy o tidings of comfort and joy in bethlehem, in israel, this blessed babe was born and laid within a manger upon this blessed morn. The song we sing today does not have the same meaning that it did to. Jesus came not for us to be merry as in happy or resting as in no activity. God rest ye merry gentlemen is one of the oldest existing christmas carols. In contrast to many traditional carols with a somber tone, this one is exuberant. God rest you merry gentlemen by traditional song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position. Recently i asked this question about the hymn god rest ye merry, gentlemen. God rest ye merry gentlemen basic college ministries. What are the lyrics for god rest ye merry, gentlemen and.
In god rest ye merry gentlemen, tidings of comfort and joy come from knowing that jesus christ our savior was born to save us all from satans power, when we were gone astray. God rest ye merry gentlemen was the most famous and most loved of all the early carols. Scott as ebenezer scrooge i bring you good tidings of great joy luke 2. Nov 29, 2004 rest assured, someone has written an article about this very question. God rest ye merry gentlemen blind pig and the acorn. God rest you merry gentlemen by traditional songfacts. God rest ye merry, gentlemen is more than just a christmas carol. It has been known by different names throughout history, including god bless you, merry gentlemen and god rest ye, merry christians, and even makes an appearance in charles dickens novel, a christmas carol, early on when scrooge is terrifying carol singers with his foul. Dec 25, 2015 christmas is similar to holy saturday. In the middle ages a strong army was a merry army, a great singer was a merry singer, and a mighty ruler was a merry ruler. This is not a song about merry gentlemen, but rather an exhortation to godly men. Many people are confused by the first line of the song, god rest ye merry, gentlemen. In 1963 this album was reissued as the christmas song, containing the classic title track and omitting god rest ye merry gentlemen. God rest ye merry gentlemen lyrics, hymn meaning and story.
It was first published in england in 1833, when it appeared in christmas carols ancient and modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by william b. The hymn is one of the oldest known christmas carols. Christmas carols god rest you merry gentlemen lyrics. Im jenny, im from long island and im a senior at suny cortland. The song we sing today has a completely different meaning then at the time it originated. The composer is not known but at least two sources from that time period heralded it as the nations favorite carol. It meant make or keepgod make you merry, gentlemen. First of all, god rest you merry, gentlemen is correct, not god rest you, merry gentlemen. I have used four out of five of these words fairly regularly in the last year, and im reasonably confident i understand what the fifth means who wouldve guessed gentlemen would. Therefore, in modern english, the first line of god rest ye merry gentlemen should read god make you mighty, gentlemen. The english language is in a constant state of flux. He has come for us god rest ye merry gentlemen lyrics by. New words are being added to our vocabulary all the time, while older words change their meaning over the years.
Yet to completely uncover the final key to solving this mystery of meaning, a comma needs to be placed after the word merry. William sandys included it in his christmas carols ancient and modern in 1833. With the changing of word meanings and difference in cultures, it is hard for americans today to understand what the english peasants were singing about 500 years agounless you know the story behind the song. Dec 05, 20 the opening line of the christmas carol god rest ye merry gentlemen means god make you mighty, gentlemen. Can we substitute any other word and make it fit the tune. In the words of john, in the incarnation the word god the son became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth jn. But thats not what the song title originally meant. Explain your version of song meaning, find more of meredith andrews lyrics. Original lyrics of god rest ye merry gentlemen song by christmas carols. In its best renditions, god rest ye merry gentlemen captures this haunting side of the holiday. The word rest is used in god rest you merry, gentlemen in a sense meaning to keep, to continue to be or to remain as specified as in the phrase rest assured, not specifically in the sense of to make. Watch official video, print or download text in pdf.
In bethlehem, in israel, this blessed babe was born. The meaning behind one of the bestknown christmas songs of all time may surprise you. First published in christmas carols ancient and modern 1833, with the help of william b. If the internal clock of the players computer indicated that the date was 25 december, the games background music was replaced with an upbeat arrangement of god rest you merry, gentlemen, by lee jackson, called god rest ye deadly gentlemen. Thus, in the middle ages, a strong army was a merry army, a great singer was a merry singer, and a mighty ruler was a merry ruler. God rest you merry, gentlemen is an english traditional christmas carol. Ye means you, but even when translated to god rest you mighty gentlemen, the song still makes very little sense.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen phrase meaning and origin. When god rest ye merry gentlemen was written, merry had a very different meaning. God rest ye merry, gentlemen susan paradis piano teaching. God rest ye merry, gentlemen first presbyterian church. The original meaning was rest in the sense of keep, requiring the comma in a different place. This is due to another word that has a much different meaning in todays world and a lost punctuation mark.
Therefore, in modern english, the first line of god rest ye merry gentlemen should read god make you mighty. Thus, the title of this song actually meant god make you mighty. God rest ye merry gentlemen posted by word camel on november 30, 2004. What is the meaning behind the christmas carol god rest ye merry, gentlemen. Human beings, guilty of disobedience and rebellion against god, are enslaved to sin.
Dec 17, 2018 by extension, if the gentlemen are prosperous and pleasant, the entire household will be the same. Dated back to the 1500s and earlier, this english carol has actually gone through a lot of change and misinterpretation over the years. The carol originates from 16thcentury england and the earliest known printed edition was published in 1760. God rest you merry, gentlemen also known as god rest ye merry, gentlemen is an english traditional christmas carol. The traditional english melody is in a minor scale. God rest ye merry, gentlemen a prayer that god keep joy in the hearts of men. Many people miss the meaning of the first line because they leave out the comma between merry and gentlemen. If you sing the words with that in mind, it really changes the meaning of the first line. Rest assured, someone has written an article about this very question. It is also known as tidings of comfort and joy, and by variant incipits as come all you worthy gentlemen. Merryin the 1500s and 1600s, when this song was writtenmeans mighty. Ch1 god rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. If you enjoy classical guitar as much as i do, check out god rest ye merry gentlemen by classical guitarist james sundquist at youtube. Robin hoods merry men might have been happy, but the merry that described them meant great and mighty.
The word merry has in fact come to mean something quite different than it did for the first hearers of this hymn. Nov 01, 2019 the carol originates from 16thcentury england and the earliest known printed edition was published in 1760. On celebrating the darker meaning of christmas by wilfred m. Over the centuries, times and meanings have changed. The verb rest is used here in the way now most familiar from the phrase rest assured. God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember christ our savior was born on christmas day. The word merry originally meant strong or valiant, as in robin hood and his merry men, meaning his strong, brave men. Dec 24, 20 when god rest ye merry gentlemen was written, merry had a very different meaning. Lyrics to god rest you merry gentlemen by christmas carols. Sal cinquemani of slant magazine awarded the album 3. Father concludes with pope st leo the greats sermon on christmas. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power. In a funny scene from a christmas carol, charles dickens imagines a caroler singing god rest ye merry, gentlemen at the door of ebenezer scrooge, who grabs a ruler and chases the singer away.
1263 617 895 167 460 58 801 138 1536 1135 588 1191 1084 326 465 48 864 423 1128 933 1456 1058 546 1272 1124 191 1438 99 1052 1433 694 1448 724 44 350 1332 1472 109 1419 619 813 635 1077 472 379 260 47 1103 101 1154 1498