Christmas Day - Mary’s Boy Child & For Unto Us a Child is Born
Mary’s Boy Child is a 1956 Christmas song written by Jester Hairston. The song had its genesis when a roommate of Hairston asked him to write a song for an upcoming birthday party. Hairston wrote the song with a calypso rhythm because the people at the party would be mainly West Indians. The song's original title was He Pone and Chocolate Tea (pone being a type of corn bread). It was never recorded in this form. Some time later Walter Schumann (conductor of Schumann's Hollywood Choir) asked Hairston to write a new Christmas song for his choir. Hairston remembered his calypso rhythmed song and wrote new lyrics for it. Harry Belafonte heard the song being performed by the choir and sought permission to record it. It was recorded in 1956 and released as a single that year. When the song reached No. 1, Harry Belafonte became the first black male singer to have a No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom. And it was the first song to sell 1 million copies in the UK. [note thanks to Wikipedia]
Long time ago in Bethlehem
So the Holy Bible say
Mary’s Boy Child, Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas Day!
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
They saw a bright new shining star
And heard a choir from heaven sing
The music came from afar
Hark! Now hear the angels sing:
“New King’s born today
And man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas Day!”
Now Joseph and his wife Mary
Came to Bethlehem that night.
They found no place to bear her Child,
Not a single room was in sight.
Hark! Now hear the angels sing:
“New King’s born today
And man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas Day!”
By and by they found a little nook
In a stable all forlorn.
And in a manger cold and dark
Mary’s little Boy/Child was born
Trumpets sound and angels sing,
Listen to what they say!
That man will live forevermore
Because of Christmas Day!
Mary’s Boy Child - Harry Belafonte
. . . and from a world away . . .
For Unto Us a Child is Born (Handel, 1741) - Warsaw Philharmonic & Choir
For unto us a child is born
Unto us a son is given
And the government shall be upon His shoulder
And His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God,
The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace
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