O Little Town Of Bethlehem – English Lyrics

• By: Frank Sinatra

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the timeless beauty of the English language through Frank Sinatra's classic rendition of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” The song's poetic lyrics offer a wonderful opportunity to learn descriptive and evocative vocabulary. Sinatra's clear and heartfelt delivery makes this traditional carol a perfect and enjoyable piece for language learners to connect with the spirit of Christmas.

[English]

Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above

While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love

Morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth

And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city
still /stɪl/ A1	adjective - not moving or making any noise
lie /laɪ/ A1	verb - to be in or assume a horizontal position
deep /diːp/ A1	adjective - extending far down from the top or surface
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - a natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body verb - to be in a state of rest for the mind and body
star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - a massive ball of hot, glowing gases in space
silent /ˈsaɪlənt/ A2	adjective - making no sound or noise
dark /dɑːk/ A1	adjective - with little or no light
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to emit light
everlasting /ˈɛvərˌlɑːstɪŋ/ B1	adjective - lasting or existing forever
hope /hoʊp/ A1	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
fear /fɪr/ A1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous
born /bɔːrn/ A2	verb - to be brought into existence
gather /ˈɡæðər/ A2	verb - to come together in a group
mortal /ˈmɔːrtəl/ B2	adjective - subject to death noun - a human being
angel /ˈeɪndʒəl/ A2	noun - a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God
proclaim /prəˈkleɪm/ B1	verb - to announce something publicly or officially
praise /preɪz/ A2	noun - the expression of approval or admiration for someone or something verb - to express approval or admiration for someone or something
peace /piːs/ A1	noun - freedom from disturbance; tranquility

Key Grammar Structures

• Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie

  ➔ Perceptual Verb + Bare Infinitive + Archaic Pronoun

  ➔ After verbs of perception like "see", "hear", "watch", "feel", we use the "bare infinitive" (without "to") to describe an action observed from beginning to end. "Thee" is an archaic object pronoun for "you".

• Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light

  ➔ Poetic Inversion (Adverbial Phrase + Verb + Subject) & Archaic Verb Form

  ➔ This sentence uses inversion for poetic emphasis, placing the adverbial phrase "in thy dark streets" before the verb "shineth" and the subject "the everlasting light". "Shineth" is an archaic third-person singular present tense form of "shine".

• The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The "passive voice" ("are met") is used here to emphasize "The hopes and fears" as the recipients of the action, rather than who is performing the meeting.

• For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause (Past Participle)

  ➔ "gathered" is a "past participle" functioning as part of a reduced relative clause (implied "and [Christ is] gathered all above" or "and [who is] gathered all above"). It modifies "Christ" from the previous clause.

• While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love

  ➔ Present Participle as Adjective

  ➔ "wondering" is a "present participle" acting as an adjective, describing the noun "love". It means "love that is full of wonder" or "love that wonders".

• Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by

  ➔ Archaic Possessive Adjective & Compound Adjective

  ➔ "thy" is an "archaic possessive adjective" (equivalent to "your"). "Dreamless" is a "compound adjective" formed by adding the suffix "-less" to the noun "dream", meaning "without dreams".

• And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth

  ➔ Poetic Inversion (Object-Verb)

  ➔ For poetic or stylistic effect, the usual word order (Subject-Verb-Object: "And [they] sing praises...") is inverted, placing the object "praises" before the verb "sing".

• And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth

  ➔ Appositive Phrase

  ➔ "the king" is an "appositive phrase" that renames or further identifies "God". It provides additional, descriptive information about the noun it follows.