Ever wonder who all those angels were who sang for the shepherds on the first Christmas?    Well, here's he story of one of 'em.

 Singin' With The Big Choir    ( R. J. Pratt © 1996, 2002)

Chorus:
         F                                     C       Am
   Tonight I'm singin' with the big choir!
 F                  G                       C     Am
   We gonna sing our fav'rite hymn!
F                  G          C           Am
   We gonna set the night on fire
               F             G       C          Am
   In the hills over Bethlehe-e-e-e-em,*
               F             G         C
   In the hills over Bethlehem.

    G                                C
I only been a angel for a little while, /
         G                            C
Got plenty o' millenia** to go
      G                                             C
Before they let me join the choir of seraphim
         F                     G                                      G                                          C
And hear ol' Gabriel blow.              // But I hear they need a multitude to sing tonight,
                              (Pa pa pa pa pa Hal-le-lu!)****
      G                                             C           F   C
"Hosannah In The Highest" is the song. (Ho-san-na!) 
       G                                             C
We gotta do a concert for some shepherd folk.
               F                                        G
Must be somethin' pretty special goin' on!

So, tonight I'm singin' with the big choir!
We gonna sing our fav'rite hymn!  (Ho-san-na-na-na!)
We gonna set the night on fire
In the hills over Bethlehe-e-e-e-em,*
In the hills over Bethlehem.

Now they never had a banjo in the choir before
                                                                (banjo riff)
And if I mess up, they prob'ly won't again,
                                                        (banjo SNAFU)
So tonight you bet I'm gonna make the most of it,
Doin' back-up for the cherubim!
                                          (banjo riff)

Yes, tonight I'm singin' with the big choir!
We gonna sing our fav'rite hymn! (Ho-san-na!)
We gonna set the night on fire
In the hills over Bethlehe-e-e-e-em,*
In the hills over Bethlehem.
 

They tell me the occasion for this special gig,
This intergenerational angel jam****
Is a birthday party for the boss's kid,
The one thay call "The Lamb."

There'll be no one but some shepherds in the audience
To hear our awesome carolling sublime,         //     But they say in time the whole wide world may sing along,
                                                     (La la la la la Hal-le-lu!)
It's a oldie but a goodie for all time.

So, tonight I'm singin' with the big choir!
We gonna sing our fav'rite hymn!  (Ho-san-na-na-na!)
We gonna set the night on fire
In the hills over Bethlehe-e-e-e-em,*
In the hills over Bethlehem.

             -----------------------------------------
* The "hem" in "Behlehem" is sung over an ascending scale of 5 notes.  The "e" is, of course, short (not "Bethleheem").
** Sing: "...plennya millenia ta go..."
*** The "lu" in "Hallelu" is sustanined and overlaps the first words of the next line
**** Sing "...intergenerayshnl angel jam..."

© 2002  R. Jeanene Pratt  866-841-9139 x4100