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 – and so let me start things off with “O Little Town of Nazareth”:
O Little Town of Nazareth
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
Somewhere in quiet Nazareth
The locals surely’d say
That Mary with her husband
in natural ways
They prob’ly saw no angels
To comfort or to scare
And in more mundane circumstance
Gave birth to Jesus there
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
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 I’ll move on to “Noisy Night, Ordin’ry Night.” Any other requests or suggestions? Should I record this?
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