We sang this in choir in High School (back in the days when schools still celebrated religious holidays and we did Christmas and Easter concerts.) However, this was an Easter song. The second line of the chorus was They done took him from the cross, instead of the manger. I think I remember the above verses, but there were additional verses with more of an Easter theme. I can't find that version on-line.

Related and totally unimportant comment, but thread drift none-the-less. I sang in school, all-county and concert choirs for 6 years back in the days when public schools still sang religious songs and celebrated Christian holidays and fesstivals. While I learned enough to read intervals, recognize time signatures, and to know the difference between an 8th and a half note, I never really learned to read music. For some reason, I have a startling clear image in my mind of the first page of the sheet music for this song and know we sang it at the Easter concert in 1968. I have memories of many of the songs we sang and performed in choir, but this is the only song that I know when we sang it, and can picture the sheet music. Pity I can't remember the tune (other than the chorus) or the verses we sang :-)