JOY TO THE WORLD Sing Along with Santa

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

(c) 2012 SGF PRODUCTIONS http://www.fpny.org
All voices sung and tracks created by Walt Frasier http://www.waltfrasier.com
Joy To The World is in the Public Domain. No other can claim rights to this recording.

FROM WIKI

“Joy to the World” is a popular Christmas song. The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on the second half of Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts’ collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship. Watts wrote the words of “Joy to the World” as a hymn glorifying Christ’s triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a song celebrating his first coming.^[2]The nations are called to celebrate because God’s faithfulness to the house of Israel has brought salvation to the world.^[3]

The music was adapted and arranged to Watts’ lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel, not least because the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature sing…) appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative Comfort ye from Handel’s Messiah, and the first four notes match the beginning of the choruses Lift up your heads and Glory to God from the same oratorio. However, Handel did not compose the entire tune.^[4] The name “Antioch” is generally used for the tune.

As of the late 20th century, “Joy to the World” was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.