Dec 02, 2014 ye means you, but even when translated to god rest you mighty gentlemen, the song still makes very little sense. In rest you merry 1978, macleod introduced professor peter shandy, a horticulturist and amateur sleuth whose adventures she would chronicle for two decades. God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember christ our savior was born on christmas day. This page includes a lyric video, a brief history, sheet music, and other resources for the christmas carol god rest you merry, gentlemen. So, the nightmen were really saying, god make you mighty, gentlemen. God rest you merry, gentlemen celebrating holidays. So when my book club, the great escape, suggested rest you merry, the first novel in macleods peter shandy series, as our december read, no one was more enthusiastic than i. The old english meaning in the carol defines merry as mighty. What throws me off is the comma between merry and gentlemen.
On celebrating the darker meaning of christmas by wilfred m. The embodiment of the spirit of victorian christmas ever since it was sung to redeem ebenezer scrooge in dickens a christmas carol. The carol originates from 16thcentury england and the earliest known printed edition was published in 1760. Be encouraged as you listen to this story of unexplainable joy. That meaning is also found in the phrase god rest you merry, gentlemen not god rest you, merry gentlemen, where rest is used in the same sense as in rest assured. She promised that she would not rest would not stop looking until the murderer of her son was caught and imprisoned. The word could mean pleasantsounding of animal voices, handsome of a dress, finetasting of herbs or simply fine of weather.
The christmas carol lyric god rest ye merry, gentlemen, often is mispunctuated. The 16th century carol english, of course god rest you merry, gentlemen demonstrates the true meaning of the word merry and, ironically, highlights how the word itself is oft times misinterpreted. God rest ye merry gentlemen doesnt need to be performed on the lute to feel authentic. The christian is to engage in spiritual merriment as he thinks upon the fact that, through the redemption, he becomes a child of gods family. Does god rest you merry, gentlemen mean may god make you calm and comfort, and merry christmas, gentlemen. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay for jesus christ, our savior was born on christmas day to save us.
God rest you merry, gentlemen mannheim steamroller, live 1997. God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, for jesus christ our saviour was born upon this day. God rest you merry, gentlemen is an english traditional christmas carol. A number of years ago, our friend joseph bottum, editor of first things, made a nice observation about his experiences of successive christmases, one that has stuck in my mind as equally true for me, and perhaps for many of us. What are the lyrics for god rest ye merry, gentlemen and what is. It was an experience i will treasure for the rest of my life. In the middle ages the word merry meant great and mighty. Oddly enough, understanding the original meaning behind this song, one of. God rest you merry gentlemen is a traditional english christmas carol. As well see, i think the comma should be after the word merry. However, the original meaning of merry was pleasing or agreeable. This is due to another word that has a much different meaning in todays world and a lost punctuation mark. God rest you merry gentlemen by traditional songfacts. The word rest in god rest ye merry gentlemen simply means keep or make.
The rest is used to refer to all the parts of something or all the things in a group that. Christmas songs god rest ye merry, gentlemen lyrics. The bible teaches that the angels made merry at christs birth. Thus god rest you merry, gentlemen is not an importuning for god to make the titular gentlemen mighty. The english language is in a constant state of flux. See more ideas about merry, christmas music and christmas holidays. Does the opening line of the christmas carol god rest ye merry gentlemen mean god make you mighty, gentlemen. You have heard it said, things arent always what they appear to be. It would seem merry is not used as an adjective to describe the gentlemen. One of the early christmas carols was god rest you merry, gentlemen. Definition of godrestyoumerrygentlemen in oxford advanced learners dictionary. God rest you merry gentlemen meaning, definition, what is god rest you merry gentlemen.
Rest definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Dec 05, 20 you have heard it said, things arent always what they appear to be. The word rest does not have the meaning we know as to sleep, to lie dead, or to be still. Over 90 percent of professional actors are resting at any given time. Dec 18, 2017 properly, its god rest you merry, gentlemen.
When god rest ye merry gentlemen was written, merry had a very different meaning. Dec 02, 2004 god rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember christ our savior was born on christmas day. You can look up the rest of the cast on the two main actors are leonardo dicaprio who plays romeo and clare danes who plays juliet. If you enjoy classical guitar as much as i do, check out god rest ye merry gentlemen by classical guitarist james sundquist at youtube. Dec 11, 2008 what throws me off is the comma between merry and gentlemen. The nightwatchmen are said to sing god rest ye merry, gentlemen as they walked the streets of london. The two main actors are leonardo dicaprio who plays romeo and clare danes who plays juliet. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. To wish one a merry christmas means to wish them well in celebrating a season of festivity or rejoicing. Read the lyrics to god rest ye merry gentlemen and discover the inspirational story and meaning behind one of the most popular hymns of all time.
Nov 01, 2019 the carol originates from 16thcentury england and the earliest known printed edition was published in 1760. Christmas carols god rest ye merry, gentlemen full version. To save us all from satans power when we were gone astray. Here is the church, here is the steeple see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church. God rest you merry gentlemen meaning of god rest you merry. The narrator of ernest hemingways god rest you merry, gentlemen 1933 recalls a christmas day earlier in his life when he worked at a hospital in kansas city. The text does not refer to merry gentlemen, as though it were telling some giddy revelers to have a nice holiday. God rest you merry, gentlemen wordreference forums. Ye means you, but even when translated to god rest you mighty gentlemen, the song still makes very little sense.
Jan 01, 1978 i adored the late charlotte macleods kelling series so, so much that i devoured all 12 books and only wish shed lived to write a dozen more. When singing this old english carol, many people put a comma between you and merry, writing and singing the phrase, god rest you. The phrase rest you merry, which is older than shakespeare, who used it in romeo and juliet, dates to the beginning of the 15th century. What americans hear when they listen to god rest ye merry. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our savior was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we. Robin hoods merry men might have been happy, but the merry that described them meant great and mighty. Deightons note to romeo and juliet, the phrase rest you merry, or the equivalent, god rest you merry. The verb rest is used here in the way now most familiar from the.
The high spiritual stakes of god rest ye merry gentlemen. What does rest you merry mean in romeo and juliet answers. God rest you merry, gentlemen lyrics 2nd version 1. Authoritative information about the hymn text god rest ye merry, gentlemen, with lyrics, midi files, printable scores, pdf files, audio recordings, piano resources, and products for worship planners. New words are being added to our vocabulary all the time, while older words change their meaning over the years. Rest assured, someone has written an article about this very question.
It is applied to god as ceasing from the work of creating on the 7th day genesis 2. The rest is used to refer to all the parts of something or all the things in a group that remain or that you have not already mentioned. An anthology of sacred carols for classical guitar, on eagle masterworks productions. God rest ye merry, gentlemen phrase meaning and origin. New words are being added to our vocabulary all the. God rest ye merry, gentlemen first baptist dallas devotions. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our savior was born on christmas day.
The word rest is used in god rest you merry, gentlemen in a sense meaning to keep, to continue to be or to remain as specified as in the phrase rest assured, not specifically in the sense of to make. When you understand what the titlefirst line of the song is literally saying, the lyrics of the whole song take on an entirely different, and more powerful meaning, the original meaning of the song. The rest definition is the part that is left when other people or things are gone, used, etc. I adored the late charlotte macleods kelling series so, so much that i devoured all 12 books and only wish shed lived to write a dozen more. Nov 29, 2004 rest assured, someone has written an article about this very question. The transitive use of the verb rest in the sense to keep, cause to continue, to remain is typical of 16th to 17thcentury language the phrase rest you merry is recorded in the 1540s. He looked away from the computer screen to rest his eyes.
If something rests on a particular idea, belief, or fact, it is based on it or needs it in order. God rest you merry gentlemen by traditional song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position. It is also known as tidings of comfort and joy, and by variant incipits as come all you worthy gentlemen. A christmas cornucopia is the fifth studio album, and the first christmas album, by scottish singersongwriter annie lennox, released in november 2010. As i researched the song, it seems the issue comes down to two words. The doctor told him that he should rest for a few days.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen first presbyterian church. It has been known by different names throughout history, including god bless you, merry gentlemen and god rest ye, merry christians, and even makes an appearance in charles dickens novel, a christmas carol, early on when scrooge is terrifying carol singers with his foul. The verb rest is used here in the way now most familiar from the phrase rest assured. In a funny scene from a christmas carol, charles dickens imagines a caroler singing god rest ye merry, gentlemen at the door of ebenezer scrooge, who grabs a ruler and chases the singer away. Dec 14, 2015 god rest ye merry gentlemen doesnt need to be performed on the lute to feel authentic. And second, the placement of a comma before or after the word merry. The words of the caroler and the familiar lines of god rest ye merry gentlemen amplify the contrast of bleak and merry men. Scott as ebenezer scrooge i bring you good tidings of great joy luke 2.
I am still unclear with the phrase god rest ye merry. God rest you merry gentlemen free karaoke christmas carols. There are all kinds of theories as to the month and day that he was born. Rest onupon sth meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Nov 28, 2009 when you understand what the titlefirst line of the song is literally saying, the lyrics of the whole song take on an entirely different, and more powerful meaning, the original meaning of the song. It is also known as tidings of comfort and joy, the phrase that ends each stanza of the lyrics. Fortunately, the oxford english dictionary gives several examples that clarify the meaning, without. This is along the lines of what we find in shakespeare, god rest you merry, sir shakespeare, 1599. Curmudgeonly bachelor peter shandys a tenured professor of agrology at balaclava agricultural college in balaclava junction, massachusetts. Rest in the above sense is of frequent occurrence, and is the translation of several words with various applications and shades of meaning, chiefly of the words given above. God rest you merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we were gone astray o tidings of comfort and joy.
Jan 20, 2012 the text does not refer to merry gentlemen, as though it were telling some giddy revelers to have a nice holiday. Dec 03, 2015 to wish one a merry christmas means to wish them well in celebrating a season of festivity or rejoicing. Well, when we sing the christmas carol, god rest ye merry, gentlemen, this saying is certainly true. Thus, in the middle ages, a strong army was a merry army, a great singer was a merry singer, and a mighty ruler was a merry ruler.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen is one of our favourite minor key christmas carols, but what are the lyrics about and why dont they all rhyme. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay remember, christ, our saviour was born on christmas day to save us all from satans power when we. Thus, according to this dictionary, the meaning of rest you merry is be glad or joyful. It was lennoxs first album after signing to the universal music group island records in the uk, decca in the us and canada following her departure from sony bmg, which had been her label for almost 30 years. This carol is an affirmation of the birth and salvation in christ, recounting his nativity event and the love of god. God rest ye merry gentlemen lyrics, hymn meaning and story. God rest ye merry, gentlemen let nothing you dismay for jesus christ, our savior was born on christmas day to save us all from satans powers. What are the lyrics for god rest ye merry, gentlemen and. Hence the phrase rest you merry 1540s, earlier rest. First of all, god rest you merry, gentlemen is correct, not god rest you, merry gentlemen. Traditional god rest ye merry gentlemen lyrics genius.
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