God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan's pow'r when we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
In Bethlehem, in Israel, this blessèd Babe was born,
And laid within a manger upon this blessèd morn;
The which His mother Mary did nothing take in scorn.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heav'nly Father a blessèd angel came;
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
"Fear not, then," said the angel, "Let nothing you afright
This day is born a Savior of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan's pow'r and might."
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks afeeding in tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethl'em straightaway this blessèd Babe to find.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
But when to Bethlehem they came where our dear Savior lay,
They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas all others doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
God bless the ruler of this house, and send him long to reign,
And many a merry Christmas may live to see again;
Among your friends and kindred that live both far and near
That God send you a happy new year, happy new year,
And God send you a happy new year.
An early version of this carol is found in an anonymous manuscript, dating from the 1650s. The earliest known printed edition of the carol is in a broadsheet dated to c. 1760. The English solicitor, member of the Percy Society and fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, William Sandys is responsible for the popularity of the carol and was remembered for his publication Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833) a collection of seasonal carols that Sandys had apparently improvised.