Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child – English Lyrics

• By: Mariah Carey
• Album: Merry Christmas

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in the soulful and celebratory English lyrics of Mariah Carey's 'Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child.' This traditional gospel track offers a rich vocabulary related to the Christmas story and expressions of faith, making it a powerful and uplifting song for language learners. Discover how Mariah Carey's powerful vocals bring this timeless message to life, providing a vibrant example of gospel music's expressive qualities.

[English]

Jesus, Jesus

Oh, what a wonderful child

Jesus, Jesus

So lowly meek and mild

New life, new hope, new joy he brings

Won't you listen to the angels sing?

Glory, glory, glory

To the newborn King

Jesus, Jesus

Oh, what a wonderful child (what a wonderful child)

Jesus, Jesus (Jesus)

So lowly meek and mild (so lowly meek and mild)

New life, new hope, new joy he brings (new hope, new joy he brings)

Won't you listen to the angels sing? (Won't you listen to the angels sing?)

Glory, glory, glory (glory, glory, glory)

To the newborn King (to the newborn King)

He was herald by the angels

Born in a lowly manger

The Virgin Mary was his mother

And Joseph was his earthly father, oh

Three wise men came from afar

They were guided by a shining star

To see king Jesus where he lay

In a manger filled with hay, oh

Jesus, Jesus (Jesus)

Oh, what a wonderful child (what a wonderful child)

Jesus, Jesus (Jesus)

So lowly meek and mild (so lowly meek and mild)

(New life, new hope) oh, new joy he brings

Won't you listen to the angels sing? (Won't you listen to the angels sing?)

Glory, glory, glory (glory)

To the newborn King (to the newborn King)

Oh, Jesus (Jesus)

Jesus (Jesus)

(Jesus) Mary's baby

(Jesus) Lamb of God

(Jesus) Heavenly child

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) I love him

(Jesus) oh

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Almighty God

(Jesus) King of kings

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus)

(Jesus)

(Jesus) wonderful, wonderful one

(Jesus) oh

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) Son of God

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

Glory, glory, glory (glory)

(To the newborn King) to the newborn King, yeah

(Jesus) woo

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) oh

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus)

(Jesus)

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus)

(Jesus) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

(Jesus) oh, oh

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) woah

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus)

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) oh

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus)

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) woah

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus, Jesus, Jesus) woah

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh, Jesus

(Jesus) oh

(Jesus)

(Jesus)

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) woah

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) Jesus

(Jesus) oh, my God

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wonderful /ˈwʌndərfl/ B1	adjective - inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good
child /tʃaɪld/ A1	noun - a young human being below the age of puberty or full physical development.
meek /miːk/ B2	adjective - quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.
mild /maɪld/ A2	adjective - gentle in nature or behavior; not harsh or severe.
joy /dʒɔɪ/ A2	noun - a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
listen /ˈlɪsn/ A2	verb - give one's attention to a sound.
glory /ˈɡlɔːri/ B1	noun - high renown or honor.
herald /ˈhɛrəld/ C1	verb - be a sign that (something) is about to happen.
manger /ˈmændʒər/ B2	noun - a trough or open box for animals to eat or drink out of.
virgin /ˈvɜːrdʒɪn/ B2	noun - a woman who has never had sexual intercourse.
father /ˈfɑːðər/ A1	noun - a male parent.
guided /ˈɡaɪdɪd/ B1	verb - lead or direct (someone) along a route or course.
shining /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/ A2	adjective - emitting or reflecting a lot of light; bright.
lay /leɪ/ A2	verb - be in or assume a horizontal or resting position.
wise /waɪz/ B1	adjective - having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
afar /əˈfɑːr/ C1	adverb - from a distance.
heavenly /ˈhevənli/ B2	adjective - relating to heaven; supremely delightful.
almighty /ɔːlˈmaɪti/ C1	adjective - having unlimited power; omnipotent.

Key Grammar Structures

• Jesus, Jesus Oh, what a wonderful child

  ➔ Exclamatory Sentence, Noun as Vocative

  ➔ The sentence expresses strong emotion. “Jesus” is used directly in address, functioning as a vocative. “What a wonderful child” is an exclamatory phrase emphasizing the child’s quality.

• New life, new hope, new joy he brings

  ➔ Parallelism, Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The sentence uses parallelism with repeated 'new' followed by nouns. The verb 'brings' is in the present simple, indicating a general truth or habitual action.

• He was heralded by the angels

  ➔ Passive Voice, Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The sentence is in the passive voice, focusing on 'He' as the receiver of the action. 'Was heralded' indicates the action was done *to* him by the angels. The past simple indicates a completed action in the past.

• Three wise men came from afar

  ➔ Adverbial Phrase of Place, Past Simple Tense

  ➔ “From afar” is an adverbial phrase indicating the origin of the wise men. The verb 'came' is in the past simple, describing a completed action in the past.

• Jesus, Jesus (Jesus) Oh, what a wonderful child (what a wonderful child)

  ➔ Repetition for Emphasis, Appositive Phrase

  ➔ The repetition of 'Jesus' and the phrase 'Oh, what a wonderful child' emphasizes the reverence and joy. The phrase in parentheses is a restatement of the previous line, further reinforcing the message.