What Child Is This

The carol opens with a question that hangs over a sleeping infant on Mary's lap, while angels offer anthems and shepherds keep their watch nearby. That contrast between an ordinary manger scene and the identity of the child is the engine of the song: the answer arrives in the refrain, naming him Christ the King, the babe, the son of Mary. The second stanza turns toward response, calling for incense, gold, and myrrh and inviting peasant and king alike to claim him, since the King of kings brings salvation. The final stanza lifts the song higher, with the Virgin singing a lullaby and joy breaking out because Christ is born. Amy Grant's reading keeps the text's plainness intact, letting the repeated question and answer carry the weight rather than adding ornament. What stays with the listener is the invitation embedded in the middle verse — that loving hearts would enthrone this child — and the way the song ends where it began, back at the sleeping infant, still asking who he is.