“Who is He?” is another of my favorite hymns we sang in the churches
on Tiree when I was a child. This reprint is from December 31, 2012.
Benjamin Russell Hanby is an American composer who also wrote “Up on the Housetop” and “Jolly Old St. Nicholas.” Still, I think of “Who is He” in connection with Scotland because that is where I first heard it.
“Who is He?”
The last of my favorite Scottish Christmas carols isn’t a Christmas carol at all. It starts out like one, but it is also a Good Friday and Easter hymn. In fact, we sang it year round.
Benjamin Russell Hanby wrote both the words and the music (tune, Lowliness) to “Who is He?” In the verses below, I’ve printed the chorus each time for easier reading.
Who is He, in yonder
stall,
At whose feet the
shepherds fall?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Who is He, in yonder
cot,*
Bending to His
toilsome lot?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Who is He, in deep
distress,
Fasting in the
wilderness?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Who is He that stands
and weeps
At the grave where
Lazarus sleeps?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Lo! at midnight, who
is He
Prays in dark
Gethsemane?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Who is He, in Calvary’s
throes,
Asks for blessings on
His foes?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Who is He that from
the grave
Comes to heal and help
and save?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
Who is He that on yon
throne
Rules the world of
light alone?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!
At His feet we humbly fall;
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.**
The three children you see standing in front of the largest church on Tiree were sad when they had to leave the Isle, but they were also excited about returning to Edinburgh at the beginning of a new year.
In the same way, I’m sad to be leaving this series on Scottish Christmas carols, but I’m excited about writing new posts for 2013. Come along and see how I do.
Have a Christ-filled year.
__________
* “Cot” can mean either a narrow bed, such as one where a
child might sleep, or a small house, such as one where a carpenter might live
and work.
** As printed in The Church Hymnary, Revised Edition (Oxford University Press, 1927). This source identifies the tune as “Lowliness.” In other sources, the same tune is called “Who Is He.”
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