Songs of Christmas - The Angels Cried

14 Songs of Christmas – (14) The Angels Cried.

On the 14th day of Christmas Songs, we get right to the point. We get right to the reason. I can only imagine the perspective of the first Christmas as taken in from the heavens. As a parent it makes me hurt to think of sending my son for such a fate.

Looking up at a sunny winter sky and the looming hill that is Mt. Forist in Berlin.

Before I get to the song, let me explain this 14 day run of Christmas Songs posted here. There is a reason for the season, and there is a reason for this 14 Days of Christmas Songs project as well.

Last May (2021) my younger brother suffered and lost his battle against cancer. While I still struggle with our loss, while remaining a big brother to one of my brothers now in heaven, I think of him constantly. He and I were both big fans of Christmas and being with family during this time of the year.

For some months now, I have been thinking of writing more about music, about lyrics, and about the connections that music makes for us all in so many ways. This December I decided to do my 14 Songs of Christmas. My late brother’s favorite number was 14. A lot of folks knew my brother as #14. Since there are 12 days of Christmas, I figured I would come up with a different number for the songs of Christmas. 14 of them, or so.

Today there is just one song featured. A song written by the late Harley Allen. Mr. Allen won 2 Grammy’s for his work on the song, “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow”, features in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Harley died of lung cancer in 2011, at home in Tennessee.

The song’s lyrics capture the first Christmas, watching Jesus’ birth from heaven. It’s a touching perspective. Imagine being the Son of God, and knowing how this would all eventually work out. Jesus was God before He was man. Then think on being the heavenly family watching from above as their Son was sent to earth to carry the weight of the world for all mankind. I would cry too.

Then there is the song itself. Sung by Alan Jackson and Alison Krauss. These two vocalists are highly decorated singers. Jackson with more than 30 Country Music Awards (CMA and ACM) and 2 Grammy’s. Krauss is simply the most awarded singer and the most awarded female artist in Grammy history.

Here’s my unique perspective and take on the vocals of the song. It’s hard for me to get past the words, but here’s the breakdown on the sound of the voices in my mind.

Alan Jackson sings first. It’s a Christmas song about the dark hours encompassing the birth of Jesus. Jackson’s voice is clear, true, and steady like Polaris. But it’s a gentle crispness that like a cold winter night is crystal clear, but not frigid. The picture in my mind, of just his voice, is like a perfect Christmas night on the rolling hills surrounding the St. John River. The air is clear and cold but welcoming. The stars are bright and the moon lit fields of snow have a glow of their own, which can only yield from me, contentment, smiles and gratitude.

Then there is Alison Krauss. She starts to sing and it’s like the feeling one might get when the Christmas tree lights are first turned on and the soft glow from the lights seems cozy and warm. The room is lit only by the tree and the angel on top. The scene invites all of us in. And Alison sings. The intensity, the pace, and the imperfections of the world around us all melt away. Filling that space are the words, the reasons, and a peace of mind that melds with the hope found in this night.

The Angels Cried – (Spotify)

The Angels Cried – (YouTube)

One border of our property, looks absolutely beautiful after 16″ of fresh March snow.

The Angels Cried

They came from near they came from far following a distant star to where he lay
Not being sure of what it meant but knowing it was heaven sent they made their way
And the creatures gathered round and didn’t make a sound and the angels cried

The angels knew what was to come the reason God had sent his son from up above
It filled their hearts with joy to see and knowing of his destiny came tears of love
And the creatures gathered round and didn’t make a sound and the angels cried

I’ve often thought about that night and wondered if they realized that star so bright
Was sent to tell all the land the son of God would soon become the son of man
And the creatures gathered round and didn’t make a sound and the angels cried

And the angels cried and the angels cried

Growing up in our house there was a record player in the living room and that was my favorite room, by far, once the Christmas decorations were up. There were Christmas records playing often in the living room and I would listen to the songs as I played with toys on the floor (or with little green Army men in the tree branches).

Many times I just sat on the heater/radiator and gazed at the lights and reflections of the decorations on the Christmas tree, while I dreamed boy’s dreams. Or perhaps I stared through the front window into the night, looking past the electric candle, and searching the skies for any hints of snow.

Sometimes, I still long to be that little kid sitting next to a frosty window, the only light in the room being the glow of our simple Christmas scene. Hearing Mom in the kitchen and Dad coming in from the cold night after another day working in the ministry of his calling. Siblings in and out, but mostly me solely focused on the songs, the words, and the reason for Christmas. Dreaming my dreams, without knowing that I was learning the tools to cope, to self-sooth, and to be calm.

Thank you for sticking with me on this one. Merry Christmas!