Away in a Manger

"Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although it was long claimed to be the work of German religious reformer Martin Luther, the carol is now thought to be wholly American in origin.

The two most-common musical settings are by William J. Kirkpatrick (1895) and James Ramsey Murray (1887). Researchers have not yet confirmed the original lyricist(s).

The popularity of the carol has led to many variants in the words, which are discussed in detail below. The following are taken from Kirkpatrick (1895):

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.

Almost every line in the carol has recorded variants. The most significant include the following:

The origin of the words is obscure. An early appearance was on March 2, 1882, in the "Childrens' Corner" section of the anti-masonic journal The Christian Cynosure. Under the heading "Luther's Cradle Song", an anonymous author contributed the first two verses, writing:

The following hymn, composed by Martin Luther for his children, is still sung by many of the German mothers to their little ones.

A near-identical article appeared in the November 1883 issue of The Sailors' Magazine and Seamen's Friend.

Another early publication is in Little Pilgrim Songs, a book of music for young children whose preface is dated November 10, 1883. Little Pilgrim Songs includes a similar claim that the song was written "by Martin Luther for his own children".

An article in the May 1884 issue of The Myrtle, a periodical of the Universalist Publishing House in Boston, Massachusetts., also included the carol, stating that:

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