by Don Chapman

My new Hymns Reborn (new music for traditional hymns/carols) version of The First Noel is a little different – I’ve tweaked the lyrics quite a bit (and added a few of my own) to make this, ahem, problematic Christmas carol a little more theologically accurate!

I’ve always loved the Christmasy, storybook feel of The First Noel. But man, some of those verses are a mess:

• Who is the second verse talking about – the shephards or the wise men? (I think it’s the wise men, but they aren’t mentioned until the third verse!)
• The Bible does not say there were three Wise Men.
• The Bible does not say the star drew nigh over the “northwest” (but it was seen “in the east”.)
• The carol appears to merge two events into one timeline. The star did not stop over the manger. Instead, the Wise Men arrive later and enter a house, not a stable/manger: “when they were come into the house, they saw the young child” (Matt 2:11).

So, I rolled up my sleeves, determined to tighten up the lyrics. And in the processes, out popped a new melody!

I kept the first verse intact. I toyed with changing “cold” to “long” but the original is iconic, after all – and theologians allow that the shepherds may have tended their sheep late into the fall in which a “cold winter’s night” could be plausible.

The first noel, the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep

Next, I created a Frankenstein blend from bits and pieces of all the verses to create my own, theologically correct second verse:

The Wise Men came from country afar
Shining east in the heavens, they sighted His star
To seek the King, their only intent
So they followed the star wher’er it went

The chorus retains the original lyrics but I’ve added my own to fit my new melody:

Noel Noel
Born is the king of Israel
Noel Noel
Jesus the holy One
Noel Noel
Glory to God Emmanuel
Noel the Christ has come

That closing phrase, “the Christ has come,” carries real power. It echoes Peter’s bold confession: “You are the Christ” (Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29).

The final verse (which was actually written later) is fine, and fits wonderfully in our modern worship era. I adjusted the wording slightly to fit my new bridge:

So now let us all with one accord
Sing our praises to the Lord
For He hath made heav’n and earth of naught
With His blood mankind hath bought

My hope is that this Hymns Reborn version helps us sing The First Noel with fresh wonder and clearer truth. If it lifts your eyes to Jesus and deepens your worship of the Christ who has come, then all the tweaking was worth it. Noel: Christ has come!

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