Watts Cradle Hymn

SATB/piano – words by Isaac Watts, music traditional – arr. Peter Amidon

In the Amidon’s book & CD “Fifty-five Anthems for the Small Church Choir“. Sung here by the Friends-of-the-Amidons singers. This is a wonderful combination of great Isaac Watts poetry and one of the most beautiful old American hymn tunes we know. We often sing the third verse with just the sopranos/altos either with the usual piano part or a cappella with the men humming the bass part. You get both SATB/piano and vocal score pdfs.

Here is another arrangement Watts Cradle Hymn by the great Maddy Prior.

LYRICS

Watts’ Cradle Hymn

by Isaac Watts

Hush my babe lie still and slumber
Holy angels guard thy bed
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.

Sleep my babe, thy food and raiment
House and home thy friends provide
All without thy care and payment
All thy wants are well supplied.

Soft and easy is thy cradle
Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay
When his birthplace was a stable
And his softest bed was hay.

Lo he slumbered in his manger
Where the horned oxen fed
Peace, my darling, here’s no danger
Here’s no ox a-near thy bed.

Hush my babe lie still and slumber
Holy angels guard thy bed
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.