“What Child is this who, laid to rest On Mary’s lap is sleeping?” asks the question at the heart of Christmas, and answers it: “This, this is Christ the King.” William Chatterton Dix wrote the words in 1865, and they are sung to the old English melody Greensleeves. Below are the lyrics, the story of the carol, what it teaches about Jesus and Mary, and a prayer.
What Child Is This lyrics
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
The story of the carol
William Chatterton Dix (1837–1898) was an English insurance company manager in Glasgow and a devout writer of hymns, including “As with Gladness Men of Old” for the Epiphany. In 1865, while recovering from a serious illness, he wrote a Christmas poem called “The Manger Throne,” from which the verses of “What Child Is This?” are taken.
The words were soon set to Greensleeves, a haunting English melody from the sixteenth century, and the pairing became one of the most beloved carols in the English-speaking world.
What the carol means
- A question of faith: “What Child is this?” is the question the shepherds, the Magi and every generation must answer. The carol’s answer is Christ the King, “the Word made flesh” (John 1:14).
- Mary’s place: the child rests “on Mary’s lap,” and each verse ends with “The Babe, the Son of Mary.” Catholics honor Mary because she gave the world its Savior. See the Hail Mary.
- The crib and the cross: “Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you.” The child in the manger came to give his life for us.
- Gifts for the King: “So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh” recalls the Magi. See the Epiphany.
- Everyone is welcome: “Come peasant, king to own Him,” shepherds and kings alike.
A prayer for Christmas
Written for this page:
Lord Jesus, Child of Mary and King of kings,
you lay on your mother’s lap and came to bear the cross for me.
I bring you the gifts of my heart: my faith, my prayer and my love.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, help me to welcome him and enthrone him in my life. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote What Child Is This?
William Chatterton Dix wrote the words in 1865. The tune is the traditional English melody Greensleeves.
Is What Child Is This the same tune as Greensleeves?
Yes. The carol is sung to Greensleeves, a sixteenth-century English folk melody.
Why does What Child Is This mention nails and a spear?
Because the carol connects Christmas with Good Friday: the child born at Bethlehem came to die for our salvation.
More for Christmas
- Christmas carols: lyrics and stories
- Away in a Manger
- We Three Kings
- Good King Wenceslas
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Silent Night
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- Epiphany
- Christmas Mass
- Catholic Christmas prayers
Texts and sources
- Lyrics: William Chatterton Dix (1865), public domain (Wikisource).
- Scripture: John 1:14, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.