Carrie Underwood – Away In A Manger: Lyrics and Meaning

Away In A Manger is Track 09 on Carrie Underwood’s album My Gift.

Away In A Manger Song Lyrics:

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus; Look down from the sky
And stay by my side till morning is nigh

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And take us to Heaven to live with Thee there

Away In A Manger Song Meaning:

Written in the late nineteenth century, Away In A Manger is a classic Christmas carol and a favorite to many. It centers around the adoration of the newborn baby Jesus.

The vast majority of early hymnals, including the earliest known to us, cite the words to German Protestant reformer, Martin Luther. Many go so far as to name the carol “Luther’s Cradle Song” or “Luther’s Cradle Hymn”, to describe the English words as having been transposed from Luther. 

The claim of Luther’s authorship remained to be made well into the twentieth century, but it is now discarded as false for various reasons. For instance, no text in Luther’s known writings corresponds to the carol. Also, no German text for the hymn has been discovered from before 1934, more than fifty years after the first English edition. That German lyrics read awkwardly and seem to be the result of a translation from the English original. It is now believed that Away In A Manger is a wholly American song.