Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) – English Lyrics

• By: Mariah Carey

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a festive linguistic journey with Mariah Carey's powerful rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)." This classic Christmas carol, imbued with Carey's soulful vocals, offers a rich opportunity to explore poetic English, traditional Christian vocabulary, and expressive phrasing. Listen to how English is used to convey profound joy and reverence, making it a special piece for appreciating the language's depth and musicality in a celebratory context.

[English]

(In excelsis Deo)

Hark, the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Peace on Earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled

Joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic host proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem

Hark, the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

To the newborn King, yeah

In excelsis Deo

Gloria

In excelsis Deo

...

Hark, the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Peace on Earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled

Oh, joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic host proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem

Hark, the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

To the newborn King

In excelsis Deo

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Hark hɑːk B1	verb - to listen attentively
Herald ˈhɛrəld B2	noun - a person who announces or signals the approach of someone or something
Glory ˈɡlɔːri B1	noun - high renown or honor
Newborn ˈnuːbɔːrn A2	adjective - recently born
King kɪŋ A1	noun - a male monarch
Peace piːs A1	noun - freedom from disturbance; tranquility
Mercy ˈmɜːrsi B1	noun - compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm
Mild maɪld A2	adjective - gentle and not easily upset or angry
Reconciled ˌriːkənˈsaɪld B2	verb - to restore friendly relations
Joyful ˈdʒɔɪfəl A2	adjective - feeling or showing happiness
Nations ˈneɪʃənz A1	noun - a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language
Triumph ˈtrɪʌmf B1	noun - a great victory or achievement
Angelic ænˈdʒɛlɪk B2	adjective - like or befitting an angel; divine
Proclaim prəˈkleɪm B1	verb - to announce or declare publicly
Christ kraɪst A1	noun - the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible and embodied in Jesus of Nazareth
Bethlehem ˈbɛθlɪhɛm A1	noun - a town in Israel, the traditional birthplace of Jesus

Key Grammar Structures

• Glory to the newborn King

  ➔ Prepositional phrase as complement

  ➔ The phrase "to the newborn King" is a prepositional phrase that functions as the complement of the noun "Glory".

• Peace on Earth and mercy mild

  ➔ Parallel structure with conjunction "and"

  ➔ Two noun phrases – "Peace on Earth" and "mercy mild" – are joined by the coordinating conjunction "and" to form a balanced parallelism.

• God and sinners reconciled

  ➔ Past participle used as adjective

  ➔ The past participle "reconciled" functions as an adjective modifying the compound subject "God and sinners".

• Joyful all ye nations rise

  ➔ Imperative sentence with omitted subject

  ➔ The verb "rise" is an imperative command; the second‑person subject "you" is understood but not spoken.

• Join the triumph of the skies

  ➔ Imperative verb + direct object + prepositional phrase

  ➔ The imperative "Join" takes the noun phrase "the triumph of the skies" as its direct object; the prepositional phrase "of the skies" specifies the triumph.

• With angelic host proclaim

  ➔ Prepositional phrase functioning as adverbial

  ➔ The phrase "With angelic host" modifies the verb "proclaim" and indicates the accompaniment with which the proclamation is made.

• Christ is born in Bethlehem

  ➔ Simple present passive voice

  ➔ "is born" is a passive construction using the auxiliary "is" + past participle, indicating that the action happens to Christ.

• To the newborn King, yeah

  ➔ Prepositional phrase used as introductory/vocative element

  ➔ "To the newborn King" is a prepositional phrase placed at the start of the line, functioning like a vocative that directs the listener’s attention.