Once in royal Davids city,


Stood a lowly cattle shed,


Where a mother laid her Baby,


In a manger for His bed:


Mary was that mother mild,


Jesus Christ, her little Child.

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He came down to earth from heaven,


Who is God and Lord of all,


And His shelter was a stable,


And His cradle was a stall:


With the poor, and mean, and lowly,


Lived on earth our Saviour holy.


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For He is our childhood's pattern;


Day by day, like us, He grew;


He was little, weak, and helpless,


Tears and smiles, like us He knew;


And He cares when we are sad,


And he shares when we are glad.

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And our eyes at last shall see Him,


Through His own redeeming love;


For that Child so dear and gentle,


Is our Lord in heaven above:


And He leads His children on,


To the place where He is gone.

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