Beech Tree News Network

I had assumed the song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was an old, near-ancient song. I was wrong. In October 1962, Noel Regney wrote the lyrics, and Gloria Shayne, his wife, wrote the music. The song has become a Christmas classic. 

Kyle Haskins explained a bit of the historical context related to the song: 

“The couple had just witnessed the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was the closest humanity ever got to the brink of a nuclear war. In an interview with NPR, Regney said, ‘I had in my mind a song that I wanted to write that somehow conveyed the spirit of Christmas. And for some reason, the idea of peace came to mind’” (The Meaning behind the Song: Do You Hear What I Hear? by Bing Crosby - Musician Wages).

Wikipedia provided the following synopsis:

"Do You Hear What I Hear?" tells a story loosely based upon the story of the Nativity of Jesus…. A "night wind" tells a lamb of a star, following which the lamb tells his young shepherd that he also hears a loud song. They are each led to a "mighty king," whom they tell of a child in the cold and ask to bring the child silver and gold…. The king proclaims a prayer of peace and announces that the child will "bring goodness and light."

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Learning more about its background simply increases my appreciation for it. During this Christmas season, I plan to find some Christmas music to entertain myself as I cook or clean.

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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 sea
With a voice as big as 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

(https://www.christmas-carols.net/carols/do-you-hear.html)