ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY

By Tim Claubaugh
TEXT: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
MUSIC: Henry J. Gauntlett, 1805-1876; harm. by Arthur H. Mann, 1850-1929. © 1957, Novello and Co., Ltd.
TUNE: IRBY
METER: 8 7 8 7 77

In his book “Hymn Notes for Church Bulletins,” Austin Lovelace writes:

“Mrs. Alexander, wife of an Irish Anglican bishop, heard some of her godchildren complaining about the dreariness of the Catechism. So she set to writing hymns (poems) which would explain the various phrases in more interesting style. This is based on the clause in the Creed, “who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” Its popularity has been enhance by Henry Gauntlett’s tune and the superb recording of the Festival of Lessons and Carols from King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, with a small boy singing stanza one with no accompaniment as the choir begins its processional."

As a very young man, his parents encouraged him to go into law, but his love of music prevailed. It is claimed the Gauntlett wrote ten thousand hymn melodies during his life time with “IRBY” being the most popular. A few years before Gauntlett wrote the tune “IRBY,” Felix Mendelssohn said that Gauntlett was one of the most “masterly” organists of the age. He was a proponent of Gregorian Chant and held several organist posts throughout London.


1. Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed.
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

2. He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall.
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

3. And through all his wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden
In whose gentle arms he lay.
Christian children all should be Kind,
Obedient good as he.

4. For he is our childhood’s pattern,
Day by day like us he grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us he knew:
And he feels for all our sadness,
And he shares in all our gladness.

5. And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heav’n above:
And he leads his children on to
the place where he has gone.