It's amazing that after all these years, 20 to be exact, of hearing the very same songs every December, I am still often blown away by the depth and and beauty of certain Christmas carols. There is more to them than just warm fuzzies and a manger scene, and I don't think people usually stop to think about the radical theological claims being made, or the dark imagery, or even just the creepy tunes that many of them have. Also, isn't it incredible how old they are? Some of these songs that we are still singing today are hundreds of years old, a lot of them have been translated form French and German and Latin and other stuff. Like, how cool is that? Can we just take a moment and consider what that says about Christianity, or rather, the power of music to hold an incredibly large bunch of people together, if only ever so slightly? Doesn't the very idea of some 16th century german peasant singing Silent Night (that is, Stille Nacht) give you an incredible feeling of hope? Well, it does for me. Thus, in my attempt to share some of my appreciation for traditional Christmas carols with my own small corner of the world, I have decided to start posting the lyrics of certain songs that strike my fancy here. Ahem:

[(the best)parts of] What Child is This?
(creepy tune courtesy of Greensleeves)

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby,
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

dang homie, what up?