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Chords and Lyrics for It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

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Music by Richard Willis
Words by Edmund Sears

VERSE 1

   Bb   Bb+  Eb     Bb 
It came up---on the midnight clear,

     Eb       C7      F 
That glorious song of old,

     Bb Bb+ Eb      Bb 
From angels bending near the earth,

   Eb          F7       Bb 
To touch their harps of gold: 

       D                 Gm 
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men 

     F            C7       F 
From heaven's all gracious King;" 

F7  Bb    Bb+ Eb     Bb 
The world in  solemn stillness lay 

   Eb       F7     Bb 
To hear the angels sing.  

  
VERSE 2

      Bb      Bb+ Eb     Bb 
Still through the cloven skies they come,

     Eb       C7      F 
With peaceful wings unfurled:

    Bb    Bb+   Eb       Bb 
And still their heavenly music floats 

     Eb      F7    Bb 
O'er all the weary world.

 D                Gm 
Above its sad and lowly plains 

     F       C7       F 
They bend on hovering wing,

F7  Bb Bb+ Eb       Bb 
And ev--er o'er its Babel sounds 

    Eb      F7     Bb 
The blessed angels sing.  

  
VERSE 3

    Bb   Bb+ Eb      Bb 
Yet with the woes of sin and strife 

    Eb        C7       F 
The world has suffered long;

  Bb    Bb+ Eb    Bb 
Beneath the angel strain have rolled 

    Eb       F7       Bb 
Two thousand years of wrong;

    D                Gm 
And man, at war with man, hears not 

    F         C7         F 
The love song which they bring;

F7 Bb  Bb+ Eb        Bb 
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,

    Eb       F7     Bb 
And hear the angels sing.  

  
VERSE 4

    Bb  Bb+ Eb         Bb 
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,

      Eb        C7      F 
Whose forms are bending low,

    Bb   Bb+ Eb      Bb 
Who toil a--long the climbing way 

     Eb      F7        Bb 
With painful steps and slow,

     D                 Gm 
Look now! for glad and golden hours 

     F       C7     F 
Come swiftly on the wing;

F7 Bb   Bb+ Eb     Bb 
O, rest beside the weary road 

    Eb       F7     Bb 
And hear the angels sing.  

  
VERSE 5

    Bb  Bb+ Eb       Bb 
For lo! the days are hast'ning on 

   Eb      C7        F 
By prophet bards foretold,

      Bb   Bb+ Eb   Bb 
When, with the ever circling years 

      Eb        F7     Bb 
Comes round the age of gold;

     D                Gm 
When peace shall over all the earth,

    F       C7        F 
Its ancient splendors fling,

F7  Bb  Bb+   Eb         Bb 
And the whole world give back the song,

      Eb      F7     Bb 
Which now the angels sing.

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Sheet Music for It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

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