Every year we meet on the beach at the bottom of Bath Street in Portobello with our community to sing carols round a roaring campfire. This page has all the lyrics to the carols we sing. We hope you can join us next time.
13th December 2025
1) Angels from the realms of glory
Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight o’er all the earth
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
Come and worship
Christ the newborn King
Come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King!
Shepherds, in the fields abiding
Watching o’er your flocks by night
God with us is now residing
Yonder shines the infant Light
Sages, leave your contemplations
Brighter visions beam afar
Seek the great desire of nations
Ye have seen His natal star
Saints before the altar bending
Watching long in hope and fear
Suddenly the Lord, descending
In His temple shall appear:
2) The First Noël
The first Noël the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay.
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
In a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noël, noël, noël, noël
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East, beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued, both day & night.
And by the light of that same Star
Three wise men came from country far
To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.
3) While Shepherds Watched
While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
“Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind.
Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To all of humankind.
To you, in David’s town, this day
Is born of David’s line
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be the sign,
The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.”
Thus spake the seraph and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God on high,
Who thus addressed their song:
All glory be to God on high,
And to the Earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to all
Begin and never cease.
Join us on Sunday 21st December for our family service at 11am
4) Once in Royal David’s City
Once in royal David’s 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.
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.
5) Calypso Carol
See him lying on a bed of straw Draughty stable with an open door
Mary cradling the babe she bore
The prince of glory is his name.
Oh, now carry me to Bethlehem
To see the Lord of love again
Just as poor as was the stable then
The prince of glory when he came.
Star of silver sweep across the skies
Show where Jesus in the manger lies
Shepherds swiftly from your stupor rise
To see the Saviour of the world.
Angels, sing again the song you sang
Bring God’s glory to the heart of man
Sing that “Bethlehem’s little baby can
Be salvation to the soul.”
Mine are riches from thy poverty
From your innocence, eternity
Mine, forgiveness by your death for me
Child of sorrow, for my joy
6) Hark the Herald Angels Sing!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise.
Join the triumph of the skies.
With angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King."
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ the everlasting lord
Late in time behold him come,
Off-spring of the virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail th' incarnate deity
Pleased as Man with us to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born king!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace
Hail, the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that we no more may die
Born to raise us from the earth,
Born to give us second birth.
Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to the new-born king.
7) On Christmas Night
On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring (repeat)
News of great joy news of great mirth
News of our merciful King’s birth
Then why should those on earth be so sad
Since our Redeemer made us glad (repeat)
When from our sin he set us free
All for to gain our liberty?
All out of darkness we have light
Which made the angels sing that night (repeat)
Glory to God and peace to men
Now and forever more, Amen
Join us on Sunday 21st December for our family service at 11am
8) Joy to the World
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 all 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.
9) Ding dong merrily on high
Ding dong merrily on high
In heav'n the bells are ringing
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! (repeat)
Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers,
May you beautifully rhyme
Your eve'time song, ye singers
10) See, amid the winter’s snow
See, amid the winter’s snow
Born for us on Earth below
See, the tender Lamb appears
Promised from eternal years
Hail, thou ever blessed morn
Hail redemption’s happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies
He who throned in height sublime
Sits among the cherubim
Say, ye holy shepherds, say
What your joyful news today;
Wherefore have you left your sheep,
On the lonely mountain steep?
“As we watched at dead of night
Lo, we saw a wondrous light:
Angels singing ‘Peace On Earth’
Told us of the Saviour’s birth.”
Sacred Infant, all divine
What a tender love was Thine
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this
11) Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Infant holy, infant lowly
for His bed a cattle stall
Oxen lowing, little knowing
Christ the babe is Lord of all
Swift are winging, angels singing
Noels ringing, tidings bringing
Christ the babe is Lord of all
Christ the babe is Lord of all
Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping
vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story
tidings of a gospel true
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow
praises voicing, greet the morrow
Christ the babe was born for you
Christ the babe was born for you
Join us on Sunday 21st December for our family service at 11am
12) O Little Town of Bethlehem
O 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
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to all on earth
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel.
13) Silent Night
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild:
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly choirs sing Alleluia:
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born.
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light.
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.
14) O Come, all ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!
Sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above
Glory to God, in the highest
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee
Born on Christmas morning
Jesus, to Thee be glory given
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing.
Join us on Sunday 21st December for our family service at 11am