to insist that it is 'I love THEE' in Away in a Manger

[Balfe]

I have turned into one of those ancient teachers grouching in a corner but really, they're singing 'I love you Lord Jesus'.... It's got to be proper!

I have to admit preferring Adeste, Fideles....

I'm laughing at "yon virgin" just brilliant 😂

I used to love"thus spake the seraph and forthwith appeared a mighty throng" - hadn't a clue what it meant when I first met it at 5 years old, but the words were lovely!

Did you know "Ding dong merrily on high" is sung to the tune of "Bransle de l'officiel" - basically "the civil servant's dance" :-)

It's
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee lord Jesus, look down from the sky,
AND STAY BY MY SIDE until morning is nigh.

Like Balf I am unable to get my dm to move on from singing in Latin. I am unconvinced if the merits of not moving with the times as a result!

Also laughing at ‘that virgin over there’.

Agree Adeste Fideles s better

It definitely IS yon virgin!

It's king of the ages, not of the angels!

Was disappointed to hear the kids at my DC nativity play sing 'fit us for ever to live with thee there' in the 2nd verse of Away in a manger. It's fit us for HEAVEN.

Sorry, 3rd verse of Away in a manger.

Ages? Is it? I've always sung "angels". Is that a direct translation from the Latin?

We always sang Adeste Fideles at school (very high church) and various other latin stuff. So I know the words better than the English version and I sing them regardless of what anyone else is singing.
I will also admit to singing the words of the Red Flag to Tannenbaum - as my Dad used to sing me to sleep with the Red Flag and other revolutionarys songs

I do sing quietly though - I'm not a total 'look at me'

We learned hymns parrot fashion in primary school. We never saw the words written down, just picked it up by listening to the teacher and other pupils. One hymn had the lyric 'save me from the foe malign', and my ear picked it up as 'save me from the foam - a line!'. I thought it meant someone was drowning and they were calling for a rope to save them.

Surely it’s “stay by my side”?

“Stay by my bedside” doesn’t scan - how do you shoehorn the extra “bed” into the rhythm? I am humming it to myself here and am baffled...

save me from the foe malign

Soul of my Saviour? Love to belt that out!

It is king of angels isn’t it?

The Latin is ‘regem angelorum’ which translates to king of the angels.

The foam - a line!

My OH thought that "Away in a Manger" was "A wean in a Manger"....but then it made sense to him as he is Scottish.

I’ve never in my life seen “O Come All Ye Faithful” lyrics written as “King of Ages”. It’s definitely “angels”.

I have sung these carols a million times - it is definitely 'stay by my side'!
I also sing the descants and don't give a toss if anyone gives me the evil eye for doing it. I will also sing the words I know and if anyone doesn't like that, its just too bad. A lot of the carols I sing from memory anyway, having sung and played them so often. Believe me, when you are playing the organ and also singing the descant, you need to know the words! I think the old words are beautiful and meaningful.

I am with whoever said about Good King WencesLAS- he did not 'last' look out out- that makes no sense at all. It drives me up the wall. I also worked with someone who asked me what a 'dance settee' was, as in I am the Lord of the Dance,settee

It is “yon virgin”.

I'm happy to say that all the adults in my school seem to know it's "you and your kin," and try to stamp out "king" whenever it happens. However, nobody else but me seems to have noticed that the kids all sing "Yet in the dark streets shineth..." - it should be "thy"! Fair enough, they probably never hear the word "thy" in any other context so it doesn't mean anything to them.

Wrong time of year, but I can't help thinking of the lone voice that always pipes up "of kings" at the end of "Sing hosanna to the king!"

I remember being at a nativity and when the kids sang "round yon virgin" they all mimed either a round pregnant tummy or round like a circle. Me and mate just looked at each other

Sorry Fuzzy

Just sung O Come all ye faithful over to myself there - you're right, it is 'born the king of angels'.

Mea culpa!

Regem angelorum
king of angels