O Little Town of Bethlehem Lyrics in Large Print: Free PDF
The words of O Little Town of Bethlehem are here in large print, one sheet at 18, 24 or 28 point. Phillips Brooks wrote the words in 1868. They were published before 1930, so they are public domain in the US and free to copy.
| Words by | Phillips Brooks, 1868 |
|---|---|
| Music | Lewis H. Redner, 1868 (US tune) |
| Type size | 18, 24 or 28 pt |
| Paper | US Letter, A4 or 11 x 17 in, white or cream |
O Little Town of Bethlehem in large print: words and download
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth,
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together,
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth!
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
Words: Phillips Brooks (1868). Music: Lewis H. Redner (1868). Public domain in the United States: words published 1868 (US, published 1929 or earlier).
The words above are set the way this site sets every song: left aligned, one column, plain type with no italics, and a blank line between stanzas. The sheet has 4 stanzas and 32 lines. O Little Town of Bethlehem is one of the songs in our large print Christmas carols collection, where you can print it with others in one PDF, and the whole set of texts is listed on the large print prayers and hymns page.
Who wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem and when?
Phillips Brooks was an Episcopal priest, rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia and later of Trinity Church in Boston. Wikipedia says he was inspired by a visit to Bethlehem in 1865, and wrote the poem three years later for his church's Sunday school. His organist, Lewis Redner, wrote the tune, which is called St. Louis and is the one used in the United States.
Redner later recalled that the tune came to him late on a Saturday night, in a rush, and that neither man expected the carol to outlast that Christmas. It was first printed in a Sunday school service book from the Diocese of Ohio, in five verses. Most books drop the original fourth verse. In Britain the words are usually sung to a different tune, Forest Green.
When is O Little Town of Bethlehem sung?
It is sung in Advent and on Christmas Eve, and, having been written for a Sunday school, it is a natural choice for family and children's services. If you are planning a folder of songs for the same occasion, the sheets for It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, Silent Night and Joy to the World use the same layout, so they sit well together.
How do you print O Little Town of Bethlehem for a service, a sing-along or a care-home visit?
In our layout tests on US Letter paper, O Little Town of Bethlehem takes 2 pages at 18 point, 2 at 24 point and 4 at 28 point. On 11 x 17 paper at 24 point it takes 2 pages. Eighteen point is the smallest size we offer, because the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) says print below 18 point is not large print, and our page on what large print is explains the reasons for 18, 24 and 28 point.
Count copies before you print. A service needs one for every seat and about five extra; a sing-along needs one for each person so nobody has to lean over a neighbor; a care-home visit needs one for every resident and one for each helper. Choose cream paper with a matte finish, since glossy stock glares under ceiling lights. It is one of the longer carols, with four verses of eight lines. Use single-sided printing on thin paper so the text on the back does not show through, and number the pages in pencil.