Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas 1915

Chris and I watched a Celtic Thunder Christmas special last night and I heard this song for the first time.  I seriously think it's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.  This morning we were talking about it and he said it's based on a real event in World War I.  (I guess all those hours watching the history channel DO produce some good results!)  British and German soldiers started singing Christmas carols in their own languages.  They eventually came out of the trenches and met and exchanged gifts and celebrated Christmas together.  The next day it was business (war) as usual.  I cry every time I hear it!! I highly recommend everyone download this song, and Celtic Thunder are one of the most incredible blend of men's voices I have ever heard.

Here it is

1915 on Christmas Day
On the western front the guns all died away
And laying in the mud on bags of sand
We heard a German sing from no man's land
He had tenor voice so pure and true
The words were strange but every note we knew
Soaring ore the the living dead and damned
The German sang of peace from no man's land

They left their trenches and we left ours
Beneath tin hats the smiles bloomed like wild flowers
With photos, cigarettes, and pots of wine
We built a soldier's truce on the front line
Their singer was a lad of 21
We begged another song before the dawn
And sitting in the mud and blood and feed
He sang again the song all longed to hear

Silent night, no cannons roar
A king is born of peace forevermore
All's calm, all's bright

All brothers hand in hand
In 19 and 15 in no man's land

And in the morning all the guns boomed in the rain
And we killed them and they killed us again
At night they charged we fought them hand to hand
And I killed the boy that sang in no man's land

Silent night, no cannons roar
A king is born of peace for evermore
All's calm, all's bright
All brothers hand in hand
And that young soldier sings
And the song of peace still rings
Though the captains and all the kings
Built no man's land

Sleep in heavenly peace

1 comment:

  1. heard of this a few years ago..our minister mentioned it once and I've never forgotten..amazing.

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