O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

God of God, light of light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, in the highest!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Tr. Frederick Oakeley

The text to the Carol O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) is often attributed to John Wade, and the music was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. The tune was first published in a collection known as “Cantus Diversi” in 1751. In 1841 Rev. Frederick Oakley is reputed to have worked on the familiar translation of O Come All Ye Faithful which replaced the older Latin lyrics “Adeste Fideles”.

Bob Dylan’s 2009 interpretation of Adeste Fideles attracted diverse critical comment: “… stunningly bad.  Hearing the way Dylan mangles the word “Chriiiiiiiist”, later on in ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, is brilliant. Horribly, horribly brilliant.”