Critical Christmas Carols: O Little Town Of Nazareth

Critical Christmas Carols: O Little Town Of Nazareth

Having written a song that appreciates the traditional Christmas story as story, I feel like I need to counterbalance it with some other songs which take into account historical criticism and other scholarly methods and their conclusions. I have a few ideas already for new lyrics to traditional Christmas songs โ€“ and so let me start things off with โ€œO Little Town of Nazarethโ€:

O Little Town of Nazareth

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O little town of Nazareth

Minute village in fact

From which Bethlehem also small

Has managed to

you historians tell us

Jesus was likely born

But Gospels preferred Bethlehem

Thus treating you with scorn

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Somewhere in quiet Nazareth

The locals surelyโ€™d say

That Mary with her husband

in natural ways

They probโ€™ly saw no angels

To comfort or to scare

And in more mundane circumstance

Gave birth to Jesus there

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O tiny village Nazareth

Let us your secret learn

Tis in the tiny unnamed streets

Which kings and magi spurn

That may be born a child

Whose life still shines today

Far brighter than a mythic star

To lead us on our way

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O tiny child of Nazareth

Your miracles perform

Not turning water into wine

But care for the forlorn

Some find legends distract them

As statements in a creed

But better still to stand with you

By helping those in need

Maybe next Iโ€™ll move on to โ€œNoisy Night, Ordinโ€™ry Night.โ€ Any other requests or suggestions? Should I record this?


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