Once in royal Davids city,Stood a lowly cattle shed,Where a mother laid her Baby,In a manger for His bed:Mary was that mother mild,Jesus Christ, her little Child.He came down to earth from heaven,Who is God and Lord of all,And His shelter was a stable,And His cradle was a stall:With the poor, and mean, and lowly,Lived on earth our Saviour holy.For He is our childhood's pattern;Day by day, like us, He grew;He was little, weak, and helpless,Tears and smiles, like us He knew;And He cares when we are sad,And he shares when we are glad.And our eyes at last shall see Him,Through His own redeeming love;For that Child so dear and gentle,Is our Lord in heaven above:And He leads His children on,To the place where He is gone.