O Little Town of Bethlehem Phillips Brooks, 1868
4 verses, sung to St. Louis (8.6.8.6.7.6.8.6), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
Verse 2. For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King
And peace to men on earth.
Verse 3. How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
Verse 4. O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1868, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind O Little Town of Bethlehem
Phillips Brooks wrote the words in 1868 for the children of his Sunday school at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia. He had spent a Christmas in Bethlehem, which Hymnary.org dates to 1865 in one place and 1866 in another. His organist Lewis Redner wrote the tune ST. LOUIS, reportedly the night before the children first sang it. Hymnary.org gives that first singing as December 27, 1868. The hymn first appeared in print in The Church Porch. Hymnary.org dates the text there to 1874, and its tune page gives 1894, so sources conflict on the first printing. Brooks wrote five stanzas, and the fourth is usually left out. He became Bishop of Massachusetts in 1891 and died in 1893. ST. LOUIS is the usual tune in American hymnals, and F is its most common key. In England the text is often sung to FOREST GREEN, an English folk tune arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which first carried these words in The English Hymnal in 1906. Hymnary.org lists the hymn in 977 hymnals.
Phillips Brooks
1835-12-13 to 1893-01
Phillips Brooks was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard College in 1855. He was ordained in 1859 and served as rector of the Church of the Advent in Philadelphia and then of Holy Trinity in Philadelphia, before moving to Trinity Church in Boston. He became Bishop of Massachusetts in 1891 and died in January 1893. He wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem in 1868 for his Sunday school, after a Christmas visit to Bethlehem that Hymnary.org dates to 1865 or 1866. His organist Lewis Redner wrote the tune.
Lewis H. Redner
1831 to 1908
Lewis Henry Redner was born in Philadelphia. He worked as a real estate agent and served as weekend organist and Sunday school superintendent at Holy Trinity Church, where Phillips Brooks was rector. He spent nineteen years there and built the Sunday school from about 31 students to more than 1,000. In 1868 Brooks asked him for a tune for a new Christmas text for the children. Redner wrote ST. LOUIS, reportedly the night before it was first sung. Hymnary.org says he is remembered mainly for that one tune.
- Hymnary.org, O Little Town of Bethlehem , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, ST. LOUIS , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Phillips Brooks , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Lewis H. Redner , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, The English Hymnal 1906, 15 , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in O Little Town of Bethlehem
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Micah 5:2
- Isaiah 9:2
- Matthew 2:1-12
- Luke 2:1-20
- John 1:4-5
O Little Town of Bethlehem videos
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O little town of Bethlehem Northern Baptist Association , Congregation
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O Little Town Of Bethlehem • Congregational Daniel Baptist, Congregation
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O Little Town of Bethlehem 🎶 King’s College Choir Cambridge (Christmas 2013) spiritdei, Choir
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O Little Town of Bethlehem - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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O Little Town of Bethlehem - Christmas piano instrumental with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Chris Tomlin - O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Live) Chris Tomlin, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 101 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 89 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 76 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 2 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in F, G, E♭ or D.
Questions people ask
Who wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem?
Phillips Brooks wrote the words in 1868. Lewis Redner wrote the tune ST. LOUIS for the same Christmas program.
What is the story behind O Little Town of Bethlehem?
Brooks wrote it for his Sunday school at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia after a Christmas visit to Bethlehem. Redner wrote the tune the night before the children first sang it.
When was O Little Town of Bethlehem first sung?
Hymnary.org gives December 27, 1868, at the Sunday school of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia. Redner wrote the tune the night before.
What Scripture does the hymn draw on?
Hymnary.org lists Micah 5:2, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:1-20 and John 1:4-5.
Is O Little Town of Bethlehem in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Brooks wrote them in 1868, and Hymnary.org places the first printing in 1874. Both tunes date from 1906 or earlier.
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