Art Garfunkel The Animals' Christmas by Jimmy
Webb Lyrics:
PART 1 THE ANNUNCIATION Hail! Hail Thou!
Hail thou who art highly favoured!
Hail! Hail Thou!
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women.
Blessed art thou most of all.
Thou shalt bring forth a son
And you will call his name
Jesus!
He shall be great,
And shall be called
The Son of the Highest.
And of his kingdom there shall be
No ending to his kingdom.
Never will there be an end.
How can this be,
I know no man?
How can this be?
How can this be?
The Holy Ghost shall come unto thee,
And the power of the highest
Shall overshadow thee,
Overshadow thee.
And that holy child that shall be born,
Ever shall be called,
He shall be called forever,
Be called, the Son of God.
Most troubled am I of all women.
I fear I may not sleep tonight.
THE CREATURES OF THE FIELD And the creatures of the field
Waited in the silence
Of Gabriel's departing,
And in the meadow kneeled.
Still but for the sound
Of a frightened fawn start.
Till the owl said, "Whooo, raised up
A clamor so harsh and deep?"
The owl said, "Whooo,
Caused gentle Mary to fret and weep?
Her window glows brightly,
I fear that she cannot sleep."
Mary paced her room,
Wishing that her heartbeat
Would cease its fearful pounding.
And peered into the gloom,
Silent as a tomb.
Not one distant drum sounding.
As the owl said, "Whooo, caused
Such a stillness to mystify
The earth, and why?
See how she searches the darkening sky.
Who is there among us
To sing her a lullaby?"
Sing me a lullaby.
JUST A SIMPLE LITTLE TUNE The cricket raised his fiddle
And he said, "Tho' I am small
And I know I'll never be
The greatest fiddler of all,
I've played it for the river.
And I've played it for the moon.
I learned it from the stars.
It's just a simple tune."
Then he raised his shiny bow as
Black as precious ebony.
And he flourished it to play
A sprightly fiddle diddle dee.
And he played it high and low.
And he palyed it in the middle.
He played a simple tune
On his tiny little fiddle.
And the nightingale sang a harmony.
And she sang so sweet,
And she sang so free,
That the meadowlark joined
With a tweedle deedle dee,
Till the fireflies danced
In the willow tree
And lit the dismal night!
Then the moon rose high
In a silvery balloon
While the flop-eared hare
Danced a jig with the raccoon.
And the bullmoose bellowed
Like a cranky old bassoon.
And he said, "What's all the fuss?
It's just a simple tune.
Simple little tune.
Simple little tune.
Simple little tune."
But Mary smiled
And from her troubles unencumbered,
Dimmed the light,
Closed her eyes and slumbered.
Slumbered.
PART II THE DECREE Then Gabriel came
And said to Joseph alone,
"Do not be afraid
To make Mary your own.
But go to your betrothed
And then be married,
The child is heaven sent."
And it came to pass
That there went out a decree
From Cesar Augustus,
That all the world would be taxed.
And each went to be taxed
To his own city.
So Joseph also went
With his lady innocent,
With his lady innocent.
The lions in the mountains
Let them pass and followed
Close by night to guard them.
From Galilee to Bethlehem,
She journeyed with only
A donkey to ride.
With Joseph walking beside,
Came to David's city
While she was great with child.
Through a country dark and wild,
Through a country dark and wild.
And on the far horizon
Rose a strange and brilliant star
As though to guide them.
INCREDIBLE PHAT On the coldest night of the year
At a pub called the Elephant's Ear,
Incredible Phat, the indeeper's cat,
Was haveing a saucer of beer
With fourteen merry gentlemen,
On the coldest night of the year.
As the hour of eleven drew near,
Some poor stranger in rags did appear
At the door of the inn,
Face weary and thin,
To ask, "Is there any room here?"
But the owner just laughed
And said, "My friend,
It's the coldest night of the year.
"We've a shiekh with three wives,
And a moneylender,
A taxman, a soldier,
And a harness mender.
Three balmy old coots
In silver boots,
Two are stargazers
And the other's a seer."
Out into the night crystal clear
The stranger went, hiding a tear.
And incredible Phat, the inkeeper's cat,
Followed and saw standing near
A donkey bearing a pale sweet girl
Through the coldest night of the year.
While the barmaid
The priest and the diplomat
Bought one last round
For the acrobat,
And a spy with no chin,
Who had also come in
From the cold with
Herod's surly charioteer.
But Phat said, "Friends, be of good cheer.
For I know of a shelter that's near."
And he led them out back,
To a tumble-down shack
Where the inkeeper's wife kept a steer.
And he said, "It's the warmest place in town,
On the coldest night of the year."
Yes, he said, "It's the warmest place in town,
On the coldest night of the year."
PART III THE FRIENDLY BEASTS Jesus our brother, strong and good,
Was humbly born in a stable rude.
And the friendly beasts around Him stood,
Jesus our brother, strong and good.
"I," said the donkey shaggy and brown,
"I carried his mother uphill and down.
I carried his mother to bethlehem town."
"I," said the donkey shaggy and brown.
"I," said the cow all white and red,
"I gave my manger for his bed.
I gave my hay to pillow his head."
"Oh, I," said the cow all white and red.
"I," said the sheep with the curly horn,
"I gave him my wool for his blanket warm.
He wore my coat on Christmas morn."
"Oh, I," said the sheep with the curly horn,
[ Find more Lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.org/zm1q ]"I," said the dove from rafters high,
"We cooed him to sleep, my mate and I.
We cooed him to sleep, my mate and I."
"Oh, I," said the dove from the rafters high,
And every beast, by some good spell,
In the stable dark, was glad to tell
Of the gift he gave Emmanuel,
The gift he gave Emmanuel.
THE SONG OF THE CAMELS Not born to the forest are we,
Not born to the plain,
To the grass and the shadowed tree,
And the splashing of the rain.
Only the sand we know
And the cloudless sky,
The mirage and the deep-sunk well,
And the stars on high.
To the sound of our bells
We came with huge soft stride,
Kings riding upon our backs,
And the slaves at our side.
Out of the East drawn on
By a dream and a star,
Seeking the hills and the groves
Where the fixed towns are.
Our goal was no palace gate,
No temple of old,
But a child in his mother's lap,
In the cloudy cold.
The olives were windy and white,
Dust swirled through the town,
As all in their royal robes,
Our masters knelt down.
Then back to the desert we paced
In our phantom state,
And faded again in the sands
That are secret as fate.
Portents of glory and danger,
Our dark shadows lay
At the feet of the babe in the manger,
And then drifted away.
WORDS FROM AN OLD SPANISH CAROL Shall I tell you who will come
To Bethlehem on Christmas morn,
Who will kneel gently down
Before the Lord, newborn?
One small fish from the river,
With scales of red, red gold.
One wild bee from the heather,
One grey lamb from the fold,
One ox from the high pasture,
One black bull from the herd,
One goatling from the far hills,
One white, white bird.
[The following are sung simultaneously:] [Male voices:] [Female voices:] One large fish from the sea, One small fish from the river,
Too shiny to behold, With scales of red, red gold.
One tame moth from a tree, One wild bee from the heather,
Sable stoled, One grey lamb from the fold,
One colt from greet meadows, One ox from the high pasture,
One bear cub fat and furred, One black bull from the herd,
One goatling and One goatling from the far hills,
One white, white bird. One white, white bird.
And many children,
God gave them grace,
Bringing tall candles
To light Mary's face.
[The following are sung simultaneously:] [Male voices:] [Female voices:] Shall I tell you One small fish from the river,
Who will come With scales of red and gold.
To Bethlehem One wild bee from the heather,
On Christmas morn, One grey lamb from the fold,
Who will kneel them gently down One ox from the high pasture,
Before the Lord, newborn? One black bull from the herd,
One goatling from the forest,
One white, white bird.
White bird.
White bird.
(White bird.)
White bird.
White, white bird.
(White bird.)
(White, white bird.)
White, white bird.
CAROL OF THE BIRDS Whence comes the rush of wings afar
Following straight the Nöel star?
Birds from the woods in wondrous flight,
Bethlehem seek this Holy Night.
Tell us, ye birds, why come ye here,
Into this stable, poor and drear?
"Hast'ning we seek the newborn King,
And all our sweetest music bring."
Hark how the green-finch bears his part,
Philomel, too, with tender heart,
Chants from her leafy, dark retreat,
(Re, mi fa, sol, in accents sweet.)
Angels and shepherds, birds of the sky,
Come where the Son of God doth lie.
Christ on the earth with man doth dwell,
(Join in the shout, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel!)
(Come join in the shout, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel!)
(Join in the shout, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel!)
(Join in the shout, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel!)
(Nöel, Nöel, Nöel, Nöel!)
PART IV THE FROG The frog hopped silently, fearfully,
In from the chill of the night,
Covered with the shining dew of morning.
Carefully, he came to cause not fright
To the Son of God a-borning.
Since from his place upon the earth
He could not see the manager,
Tho' shy, he leaped into the air
To see the little stranger.
The beasts were outraged, angry
That the frog was so impolite,
Would dare distrub
The Holy Child's dreaming.
"Get you far away and out of sight,
You are ugly and blasheming.
And why do you not humbly bow,
And what gift are you bringing?
The frog then croaked,
"I come to God with only my rough singing.
I came to sing for Jesus."
The animals laughed,
"Ha, ha, ha, ha,"
To think of such a joke
That the simple frog
Would be so odd,
As to come to God to croak.
The animals laughed,
"Ha, ha, ha, ha,"
To think of such a joke
That the simple frog
Would be so odd,
As to come to God to croak.
Baby Jesus saw the frog,
And Laughed with sheer delight
To see him hopping high through the stable.
And Mary, softly, did him invite
To sing the little boy's first fable.
A light came down from heaven
And around the frog was clinging,
And like an angel sent from God,
The lowly frog was singing.
And he sang of logs and polliwogs,
Of rafts and summer fishing,
Of morning fogs and puppy dogs,
And places to go wishing.
Of misty bogs and swimming togs,
And treasures lying deep.
And when the last note died away
The baby was asleep.
And from that day on, the frog was drawn
To live high in the towers
Of pine and oak, no more to croak
Among the water flowers.
But a tree frog he would always be,
Whose voice could shame the bird,
And they say that every Easter morn
His voice can still be heard.
PART V HEROD Herod the curious,
Herod the curious,
Herod, the curious, was furious,
In his citadel on the hill.
Herod the jealous one,
Dying without a son,
Bade his soldiers
Drink their fill.
Herod the hideous,
Herod the hideous,
Herod, the hideous, perfidious
In his demon voice evil and shrill,
Loudly commanded them,
"Go then to Bethlehem,
All the newborn babes to kill!"
And the jackals cackled,
"Cha-ka cha-ka cha-ka cha,"
To think of such a lie,
That the promised King of Israel
Was only born to die.
But the rooster keeping vigil,
In the first still light of morning,
Afar off saw a plume of dust
And raised a din of warning in disgust,
"A nightmare's coming true!"
An army is in view!
King Herod does pursue!"
Herod, vainglorious,
Herod, vainglorious,
Victorious, lashed his horses
In wild pursuit.
Closer and closer came hate
Burning like a flame,
Raised his spear in mock salute.
And out to the desolation
Of the dawning desert waste,
They fled on a drowsy donkey
In confusion, yawning
Even in their haste.
And the animals looked on,
As they faded in the dawn,
And suddenly were gone.
"Which way to Egypt then?
Which way to Egypt then?
Which way to Egypt then?"
Joseph asked the donkey,
Lost in a storm of swirling sand.
As from the chariot,
Herod Iscariot
Cast his eye across the land.
WILD GEESE But the wild geese, soaring high,
Looked down on the
Desperate child with love,
And made an arrow in the sky,
Pointing straight and true
From far above and crying,
"This is the way,
This is the way,
This is the way,"
As they do now and for always.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Lyrics: The Animals' Christmas by Jimmy Webb, Art
Garfunkel [end]