Lyrics to
First Noel

This version of First Noel was released by Emmylou Harris in 1979.

Our Decade Lyrics Emmylou Harris profile has all of the First Noel lyrics from 1979 and many more songs from the Emmylou Harris discography that we have on file.

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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.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the the East, beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
This star drew night to the northwest,
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

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Emmylou Harris has released many songs over the years besides First Noel. Emmylou Harris released songs from 1969 to 2003 spanning across albums like Gliding Bird, Elite Hotel, Pieces Of The Sky, Luxury Liner, Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town, Light Of The Stable, Blue Kentucky Girl, Roses In The Snow, Cimarron, Evangeline, Last Date, White Shoes, The Ballad Of Sally Rose, Thirteen, Angel Band, Trio, Bluebird, Duets, Brand New Dance, At The Ryman, Cowgirl's Prayer, Wrecking Ball, Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, Trio II, Red Dirt Girl, and Stumble Into Grace. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Emmylou Harris.

If you're a fan of lyrics from 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1979 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and First Noel by Emmylou Harris

The lyrics for First Noel are defined as the words making up the song released by Emmylou Harris in 1979. It also includes the verses and words used by the background chorus in the song. Like many hit songs, the lyrics to First Noel have different meanings to different people. While it is clear in some of the lyrics what the artist is trying to really say, only Emmylou Harris and those working with them know all of the meanings behind all of the lyrics to their songs.

Some folks are interested in word and phrase etymology. It is easy to understand the lyrics to First Noel by Emmylou Harris if you think through it. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to First Noel" means the words set to the music of First Noel, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Emmylou Harris. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to First Noel and the lyrics to First Noel are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Emmylou Harris who came here looking just for the lyrics to First Noel, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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