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Stories Behind The Best Loved Songs Of Christmas
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A preview of the
chapter that tells the
story behind God Rest
Ye Merry Gentlemen! Oddly enough, understanding
the meaning of one of the most misunderstood carols of Christmas
also helps explain one of the most misunderstood and misused words
describing Christmas. It is a fact that what Americans hear when
they listen to “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is not anything like
what the English peasants meant when they first sang this song more
than 500 years ago. Though this is one of the world’s favorites, it
even earned a prominent spot in Dicken’s classic novel A Christmas
Carol, if people fully understood its unique lyrics, most would
probably find "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" as one of the most
profound and meaningful hymns in the world too.
This old carol can be traced back to the 15th century. Like so many
early Christmas songs, it was written as direct reaction to the
music of the church. During this period the songs of organized
religion was usually written in Latin and married to melodies that
were somber and dark. This type of music offered singers and
listeners little joy and happiness. In fact, though few admitted it
in public, most church members secretly disliked most accepted
religious songs. Yet the laymen of the time had no power over the
way they worshipped. They had to accept things as they were. So,
while they continued to go to organized worship services, they
created their own church music outside the walls of the cathedrals
and chapels. In this way the peasant class led a quiet rebellion
against the tone of religious music by writing religious folks songs
that were light, lively and penned in common language. Their
Christmas folk songs became the foundation of what are now knows as
Christmas carols.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was the most famous and most loved of
all the early carols. Written with an upbeat melody and speaking of
the birth of Jesus in joyful terms, the song may have shocked early
church leaders, but it charmed their flocks. Not only did they sing
to this carol, they danced to it.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’s" lyrics reveal that the song’s
unknown writer knew the story of Jesus’ birth well. He included the
high points of the gospel throughout the carol’s verses. The writer
also fully understood the power of Christ and what His coming meant
to all who embraced it. In the case of this writer, comprehending
the full and personal meaning of the birth of the Son of God brought
forth enthusiasm and joy that was simply not found in any church
songs of the period. Though it might have been rejected by the
church leaders, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" better presented the
message of the first Christmas and the life of Jesus than did many
of the songs used in formal worship of the day.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" would be sung for hundreds of years
before finally being published in the nineteenth century. By that
time, thanks in part to Queen Victoria’s love of carols, the song
was beginning to find favor in the Anglican church. Soon the
protestant English clergy of the Victorian era were even
enthusiastically teaching "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" to their
parishioners. Crossing the ocean to both Europe and America, the
carol became a favorite throughout the Christian world. It is still
sung in much the same as it was five hundred years ago. The only
problem is that few of today’s singers fully understand the
beginning of each of the carol’s many verses. This is a result of
the evolution of the English language.
When modern people say "Merry" Christmas, the word merry means
happy. When "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was written, merry had a
very different meaning. Robin Hood’s "Merry Men" might have been
happy, but the merry that described them meant great and mighty.
Thus, in the middle ages a strong army was a merry army, a great
singer was a merry singer, and a mighty ruler was a merry ruler.
So when the English carolers of the Victorian era sang, "merry
gentlemen," they meant great or mighty men. Ye means you, but even
when translated to "God rest you mighty gentlemen," the song still
makes very little sense. This is due to another word that has a much
different meaning in today’s world and a punctuation mark that has
been lost.
The word "rest" in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" simply means keep
or make. Yet to completely uncover the final key to solving this
mystery of meaning, a comma needs to placed after the word merry.
Therefore, in modern English, the first line of "God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen" should read "God make you mighty, gentlemen." Using this
translation the old carol suddenly makes perfect sense, as does the
most common saying of the holidays, "Merry Christmas."
Even if the song’s many singers didn’t fully understand "God Rest Ye
Merry Gentlemen," the old carol remained popular? The world’s love
for this song was probably due to to the very reason that it was
written in the first place. This an upbeat musical piece that tells
the most upbeat story the world has ever known. Those who sing it
naturally get caught up in the celebratory mood of the message and
embrace the same kind of emotions that those first to visit the baby
Jesus must have felt. As the angel told the shepherds, "I bring you
news of great joy." That joy and the power of faith can be felt and
experienced in every note and word of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."
You just have to know how to translate the words into the language
of the day to have a very Mighty Christmas! |