Lyrics Page
O Holy Night
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Sep 26, 2026 updated
It's Christmastime album
Verified editorial review
Song Meaning
Plumb's reading of this hymn keeps its nineteenth-century language intact, and the opening lines still do something unusual for a Christmas song: "long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth." Worth, not just relief, is the word the hymn reaches for first.
The second verse moves from the manger to ethics without transition — "truly He taught us to love one another... chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease." A birth announcement becomes, within four lines, a claim about how people are supposed to treat each other.
The angels' announcement to shepherds of good news of great joy, and Isaiah's naming of the child to come — Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace — sit behind the hymn's own "night divine." Isaiah's promise of freedom for captives gives the hymn's line about breaking chains its scriptural weight, tying the manger directly to liberation rather than leaving it as sentiment.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine
O night, O holy night
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord
Let Earth forever praise we
Noel, Noel
O night, O night divine
O night divine
O night, O holy night