Do You Hear What I Hear? – English Lyrics

• By: Vanessa Carlton
• Album: Hear the Bells

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a festive linguistic journey with Vanessa Carlton's rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?". This beloved Christmas carol offers a rich vocabulary for storytelling and expressing wonder, making it an excellent song for language learners. Its simple, repetitive questions and answers, combined with vivid imagery of stars, lambs, and kings, provide accessible entry points into English phrasing and narrative, all wrapped in a beautifully delivered holiday classic. Through its timeless message and gentle melodies, you can learn to describe observation, share messages, and embrace the spirit of peace and hope.

[English]

Said the night wind to the little lamb

Do you see what I see

Way up in the sky, little lamb

Do you see what I see

A star, a star, dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite

With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy

Do you hear what I hear

A song, a song, high above the tree

With a voice as big as the sea

With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king

Do you know what I know

In your palace warm, mighty king

Do you know what I know

A child, a child, shivers in the cold

Let us bring him silver and gold

Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say

Pray for peace people everywhere

Listen to what I say

The child, the child, sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
wind /wɪnd/ A1	noun - the natural movement of air
lamb /læm/ B1	noun - a young sheep
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the space above the earth that you can see when you look up
star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - a bright object in space that can be seen at night
shepherd /ˈʃepərd/ B2	noun - a person whose job is to take care of sheep
song /sɔŋ/ A1	noun - a piece of music with words that you sing
voice /vɔɪs/ A2	noun - the sounds that you make when you speak or sing
king /kɪŋ/ A1	noun - a male ruler of a country
child /tʃaɪld/ A1	noun - a young human being who is not yet an adult
peace /piːs/ A2	noun - freedom from disturbance; tranquility
said /sed/ A1	verb - past tense of say; to express something in words
see /siː/ A1	verb - to perceive with the eyes
hear /hɪr/ A1	verb - to perceive sound
bring /brɪŋ/ A1	verb - to take or carry someone or something to a place
little /ˈlɪtəl/ A1	adjective - small in size, amount, or degree
big /bɪɡ/ A1	adjective - of considerable size or extent
mighty /ˈmaɪti/ B2	adjective - having great power or strength
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature

Key Grammar Structures

• Said the night wind to the little lamb

  ➔ Past Simple with 'said'

  ➔ The verb 'said' is used in the past simple tense to describe a completed action in the past.

• Do you see what I see

  ➔ Present Simple Question

  ➔ The sentence uses the present simple tense in a question form to ask about a habitual or general action.

• A star, a star, dancing in the night

  ➔ Present Continuous for Description

  ➔ The present continuous tense ('dancing') is used to describe an action happening at the moment of speaking.

• With a tail as big as a kite

  ➔ Simile with 'as...as'

  ➔ The phrase 'as big as a kite' is a simile using 'as...as' to compare the size of the tail to a kite.

• Let us bring him silver and gold

  ➔ Imperative Mood with 'let us'

  ➔ The phrase 'let us' is used in the imperative mood to make a suggestion or proposal.

• He will bring us goodness and light

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will'

  ➔ The verb 'will bring' is used in the future simple tense to describe an action that will happen in the future.