Carol, England (UK).
“Good King Wenceslas” is a popular Christmas carol that tells a story of Good King Wenceslas braving harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (the second day of Christmas, December 26). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king’s footprints, step for step, through the deep snow.
The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia or Svatý Václav in Czech (907–935).
Table of Contents
- Good King Wenceslas Videos
- Good King Wenceslas Audio files
- Good King Wenceslas Sheet Music
- Song History
Good King Wenceslas Videos
Sing-Along Video with Lyrics
Karaoke Video with Lyrics
Lyrics
1. Good King Wenceslas looked out
on the feast of Stephen,
when the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel,
when a poor man came in sight,
gathering winter fuel.
2. Hither, page, and stand by me.
If thou know it telling:
yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
underneath the mountain,
right against the forest fence
by Saint Agnes fountain.
3. Bring me meat, and bring me wine.
Bring me pine logs hither.
Thou and I will see him dine
when we bear the thither.
Page and monarch, forth they went,
forth they went together
through the rude wind’s wild lament
and the bitter weather.
4. Sire, the night is darker now,
and the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how.
I can go no longer.
Ark my footsteps my good page,
tread thou in them boldly:
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
freeze thy blood less coldly.
5. In his master’s step he trod,
where the snow lay dented.
Heat was in the very sod
which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
wealth or rank possessing,
ye who now will bless the poor
shall yourselves find blessing
Good King Wenceslas Audio files
Free karaoke MP3 download
To download your free instrumental mp3 of this song, click or tap on the following button, then choose “Save link as…”
“Good King Wenceslas” (instrumental, 2:46 – 4/4 – 89.5 bpm)
Commercial License for Good King Wenceslas (karaoke)
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Song
This is the song with vocals, which you can also license for commercial use:
Commercial License for Good King Wenceslas (song)
Purchase a license that permits the commercial use of this track. You can license this track for:
YouTube License
Insta/FB License
TikTok License
Other License
Not sure which license is best for you?
Read our licensing page or contact us!
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Good King Wenceslas Sheet Music
in G
in F
Song History
In 1853, English hymnwriter John Mason Neale wrote the “Wenceslas” lyrics, in collaboration with his music editor Thomas Helmore, and the carol first appeared in Carols for Christmas-Tide, 1853. Neale’s lyrics were set to a tune based on a 13th-century spring carol “Tempus adest floridum” (“The time is near for flowering”) first published in the 1582 Finnish song collection Piae Cantiones.
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