"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a Christmas song written in October 1962 with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker.[1] The pair were married at the time, and wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis.[2] It has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of different artists.[2]
This is the first time that I have taken the time to find out anything about it. I can see how it would relate to the missile crisis, however for me and my brother, who were born in the 80's and well past this time, the lyrics always seemed to be a little bit on the strange side. Here they are:
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Said the night wind to the little lamb,"Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song high above the trees
With a voice as big as the the sea,
With a voice as big as the the sea."
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold--
Let us bring him silver and gold,
Let us bring him silver and gold."
Said the king to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light,
He will bring us goodness and light."
The chain of communication is just a little bit far fetched. Going back to Wiki, they have a list of everyone who has sung this carol, and it did surprise me. We used to have it on a tape, "Christmas Songs" which had a lovely picture of a candle on the front. We played the tape over and over until it was worn; every year, the same tape as soon as the decorations were brought down from the loft. I had a copy made for me by my Dad one year as I was to sing in a carol concert and it also had a copy of Johnny Mathis - A Child is Born, another Christmas Favourite.
Some others include
Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses
Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
Only You - The Flying Pickets. This was Christms No 1 the year I was born
Do they know its Christmas - Band Aid (expanding on my love for Simon Le Bon)
A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris De Burgh
12 Days of Christmas - The Spinners
Lonely Pup in a Christmas Shop - Adam Faith
White Christmas / Peace on Earth - The King of Christmas, Mr Bing Crosby
I also am quite partial to properly sung Carols, and had a lovely experience this weekend of being at a wedding where the bride and groom had embraced the season and had carols instead of hymns. There is something very satisfying about singing carols in a church on a lovely winters day or night. I have done it on a few occasions, one of my favourites being in Bath Cathedral during my university years.
Love Elliefantasy xx
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