1915 on Christmas Day
On the Western Front the guns all died away
and lying in the mud on bags of sand
we heard a German sing from No Mans Land
He had a tenor voice so pure and true
the words were strange but every note we knew
soaring o'er the living dead and damned
the Germans sang of peace from No Mans Land
They left their trenches and then we left ours
beneath tin hats they smiled just like wild flowers
with photos cigarettes and pots of wine
we built a soldiers truce on the front line
Their singer was a lad of 21
we begged another song before the dawn
and lying in the mud and blood and fear
he sang again the song all longed to hear
Silent night, no canons roar
a King of Peace is born for ever more,
All's calm, all's bright, all brothers hand in hand
in 1915 in No Mans Land
In the morning all the guns boomed in the rain
and we killed them and they killed us again
with bayonet, bomb and bullet, gas and flame
Neither we nor they had all to blame
There was heavy fighting right throughout the day
for one night's peace we bloodily did pay
at night they charged we fought them hand to hand
and I killed the boy that sang in No Mans Land
Silent night, no canons roar
a King of Peace is born for ever more
All's calm, all's bright, all brothers hand in hand
and that young soldier sings
and the song of peace still rings
though the captains and all the kings built no mans land
Sleep in heavenly peace
---
Lyrics submitted by Karen Cronin.