Something I have enjoyed discovering over these past few years in my research of Christmas songs is how many of them originated in other countries. Knowing this now causes these songs not just to be powerful reminders of the reality and significance of Jesus’s birth but also reminders of how our faith is one that we share with people in different times and different places. That said, most of these songs come from Western European countries like England, Germany, and France. There are understandable cultural and historical factors for that reality, but we should remember that Christmas has been (and is celebrated) in many other regions and parts of the world and look for Christmas songs that might come from other places. One such song is “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.” If you aren’t familiar with it – or aren’t sure if you have ever heard it – Elevation Worship recorded a version of it in 2023 with their choir that you can find here. 

The Story
Like a number of other Christmas songs, the exact date of this song is unknown but has a pretty clear place of origin. Some will attribute it to or link it to a Polish Catholic priest Piotr Skarga (1536-1612), but most accounts of its origins note that it is a traditional carol from Poland that may have originated back in the 13th century; Skarga’s connection to the song may be less about writing it and more about preserving it or spreading it more widely. The fact that it was originally in Polish is somewhat remarkable, as church services in that time would typically have been in Latin. Therefore, this song reflects people thinking and singing about the birth of Christ in their own language before the Reformation’s emphasis on songs and Scriptures being in the common language of the people. 

The way this song came to English speakers was through a British musician and playwright named Edith Margaret Gellibrand Reed (1885-1933). She found the song in a 1908 Polish hymnal and then translated it into English, publishing it around 1920. This translation is not necessarily an exact translation of the Polish version but is viewed as something of a paraphrase that captures much of the essence of the song. The melody used is a Polish one known as “W Żłobie Leży,” a song which some have noted has similarities to folk dance music in that land. 

The fact that this song has only been available to English-speaking Christians for about one hundred years may help to explain why it is less familiar, as many others have been around much longer; it does reflect some similar themes to more commonly known Christmas songs (for example, some have compared it to “Away in a Manger” in terms of the content and length). However, both the words of the song and its origins are ones that we are wise to remember and can enhance our celebration of Jesus’s birth.

The Song
While some believe the song was longer – up to four verses – the version that we have today only has two verses. While the song is brief, it is pretty beautiful in its flow and its content. 

Verse 1
Infant holy, infant lowly
For His bed a cattle stall
Oxen lowing, little knowing
Christ, the babe, is Lord of all
Swift are winging angels singing
Noels ringing, tidings bringing
Christ the babe is Lord of all!
Christ the babe is Lord of all!

Verse 2
Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping
Vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story
Tidings of the gospel true
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow
Praises voicing, greet the morrow
Christ the babe was born for you
Christ the babe was born for you
Christ the babe was born for you

The opening words highlight the paradigm that is found in the birth of Jesus, as the holy God does not just take on mortal flesh but comes in true humility. The opening verse continues to think through the circumstances on earth and in heaven at his birth, alluding to the events we read in Luke 2. The “lowly” estate of this child is reflected in the fact that he lies in “cattle stall” (what we usually call the manger) and with animals that don’t know their maker has come. The “holy” estate of this child is seen in that angels are singing and proclaiming “tidings” (news) that this child is not just the Christ but the Lord of all, with the phrase “Christ the babe is Lord of all” a recurring one in this short song.

The second verse then moves to other details about Jesus’s birth, now the ones keeping animals (the shepherds) rather than the animals themselves. As noted in Luke 2, these shepherds see the angels and hear the good news that is proclaimed. This causes them to both rejoice and be “free from sorrow.” The closing line echoes the closing line of the first verse but also personalizes it, noting that “Christ the babe was born for you.” This is not just a story for angels, animals, and shepherds, this is a story for me and you.

The song is clearly rooted in the account of Luke 2. It might hone in on some details that are not directly in the text – for example that there were oxen or that the shepherds joy meant that they were free from sorrow – but in doing so, they invite us to consider the Christmas story in vivid and realistic detail. Above all, it points to the fact that the holy God came to us in a humble estate and calls for a response to this truth that “Christ the babe was born for you.” The Eastern European origins of this song also help us remember that the “you” here is not just people from our country or from Western European countries but in places all around the world, as the good news of Christmas is to be spoken and sung in every language.

Click below if interested in exploring the background of any of these other Christmas songs:
Angels From the Realms of Glory, Angels We Have Heard on High, Away in a Manager, Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus, The First Noel, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Joy to the World, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Come O Come Emmanuel, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Holy Night, Once in Royal David’s City, Silent Night, The Twelve Days of Christmas, We Three Kings, What Child is This?,  and Who Is He in Yonder Stall. 

Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also email to be added to the list that receives weekly emails with our blog posts.