"The First Noel"

 

Except for the occasional song my voice teacher assigned me, the only Christmas sheet music I had access to as a teenager was what was in the hymnbook and the primary songbook. Of all those, "The First Noel" was my favorite. I kept trying to learn it on the piano, but it's a fairly challenging hymn to play with a lot of unexpected chord progressions and accidentals, plus it's harder to play when you're trying to sing too. Back then I didn't have access to any of those "hymns made easy" books which would have made it much more doable. I can play the hymnbook version easily now and could certainly sing along with it too, but I never quite got the hang of it back then.

Last November I found a book with sheet music for several of the songs I posted with Meledie last December. It just happened to come with prerecorded accompaniment for all of the songs in the book, including "The First Noel." I couldn't help but think about how much I would have loved to have access to it 25 years ago. I probably would have sung this at least 20 times a day! 

This song actually has nine verses, though the hymnbook only contains two, the first and second. I don't see why the hymn compilers didn't include more. I understand not having all nine, but why not have four or five like several of our other Christmas songs? At minimum I think we need the 8th verse because of it's reference to the atonement. This version also has just two verses, the 1st and the 8th. I'll post them all here since I think it's worth reading through them all. At some point I'll find a version with more verses.

Lyrics:

The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
[Refrain]: Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell.
Born is the King of Israel!

They lookèd up and saw a star,
Shining in the east, beyond them far,
And to the Earth it gave great light,
And so it continued, both day and night.

And by the light of that same star,
Three wise men came from country far,
To seek for a king was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.

This star drew nigh to the northwest;
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest.
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Then did they know assuredly,
Within that house, the king did lie;
One entered in then for to see,
And found the babe in poverty.

Then enter'd in those wise men three,
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offer'd there, in his presence,
Their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense.

Between an ox stall and an ass,
This child truly there born he was;
For want of clothing they did him lay
All in a manger, among the hay.

Then let us all with one accord,
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord;
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
And with his blood mankind hath bought.

If we in our time shall do well,
We shall be free from death and hell;
For God hath prepared for us all
A resting place in general.