Alex Chilton

by Paul Westerberg

If he was from Venus, would he feed us with a spoon?
If he was from Mars, wouldn't that be cool?
Standing right on campus, would he stamp us in a file?
Hanging down in Memphis all the while

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton
When he comes 'round
They sing, 'I'm in love! What's that song?
'I'm in love with that song'

Cerebral rape and pillage in a village of his choice
Invisible man who can sing in a visible voice
Feeling like a hundred bucks, exchanging good lucks face to face
Checking his stash by the trash at St. Mark's Place

I never travel far without a little Big Star

Running 'round the house, Mickey Mouse and the Tarot cards
Falling asleep with a flop-pop video on
If he was from Venus, would he meet us on the moon?
If he died in Memphis, then that'd be cool

Midwinter

by Christina Rossetti

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay.
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.

Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle

Traditional

Un flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle—
Un flambeau! Courons au berceau!
C'est Jésus, bonnes gens du hameau.
Le Christ est né; Marie appelle!
Ah! Ah! Ah! Que la Mère est belle,
Ah! Ah! Ah! Que l'Enfant est beau!

C'est un tort, quand l'Enfant sommeille,
C'est un tort de crier si fort.
Taisez-vous, l'un et l'autre, d'abord!
Au moindre bruit, Jésus s'éveille.
Chut! chut! chut! Il dort à merveille,
Chut! chut! chut! Voyez comme il dort!

Doucement, dans l'étable close,
Doucement, venez un moment!
Approchez! Que Jésus est charmant!
Comme il est blanc! Comme il est rose!
Do! Do! Do! Que l'Enfant repose!
Do! Do! Do! Qu'il rit en dormant!

W żłobie leży

Traditional

W żłobie leży! Któż pobieży
Kolędować małemu
Jezusowi Chrystusowi
Dziś nam narodzonemu?
Pastuszkowie przybywajcie
Jemu wdzięcznie przygrywajcie
Jako Panu naszemu

My zaś sami z piosneczkami
Za wami pospieszymy
A tak Tego Maleńkiego
Niech wszyscy zobaczymy
Jak ubogo narodzony
Płacze w stajni położony
Więc go dziś ucieszymy

Naprzód tedy, niechaj wszędy
Zabrzmi świat w wesołości,
Że posłany nam jest dany
Emmanuel w niskości!
Jego tedy przywitajmy,
Z aniołami zaśpiewajmy
Chwała na wysokości!

Witaj, Panie, cóż się stanie,
Że rozkosze niebieskie
Opuściłeś a zstąpiłeś
Na te niskości ziemskie?
Miłosć moja to sprawiła,
By człowieka wywyższyła
Pod nieba empiryjskie.

Wind and Window Flower

by Robert Frost

Lovers, forget your love,
    And list to the love of these,
She a window flower,
    And he a winter breeze.

When the frosty window veil
    Was melted down at noon,
And the caged yellow bird
    Hung over her in tune,

He marked her through the pane,
    He could not help but mark,
And only passed her by,
    To come again at dark.

He was a winter wind,
    Concerned with ice and snow,
Dead weeds and unmated birds,
    And little of love could know.
But he sighed upon the sill,
    He gave the sash a shake,
As witness all within
    Who lay that night awake.

Perchance he half prevailed
    To win her for the flight
From the firelit looking-glass
    And warm stove-window light.

But the flower leaned aside
    And thought of naught to say,
And morning found the breeze
    A hundred miles away.

Macht hoch die Tür

by Georg Weissel

Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit;
es kommt der Herr der Herrlichkeit,
ein König aller Königreich,
ein Heiland aller Welt zugleich,
der Heil und Leben mit sich bringt;
derhalben jauchzt, mit Freuden singt:
Gelobet sei mein Gott,
mein Schöpfer reich von Rat.

Er ist gerecht, ein Helfer wert;
Sanftmütigkeit ist sein Gefährt,
sein Königskron ist Heiligkeit,
sein Zepter ist Barmherzigkeit;
all unsre Not zum End er bringt,
derhalben jauchzt, mit Freuden singt:
Gelobet sei mein Gott,
mein Heiland groß von Tat.

O wohl dem Land, o wohl der Stadt,
so diesen König bei sich hat.
Wohl allen Herzen insgemein,
da dieser König ziehet ein.
Er ist die rechte Freudensonn,
bringt mit sich lauter Freud und Wonn.
Gelobet sei mein Gott,
mein Tröster früh und spat.

Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit,
eu’r Herz zum Tempel zubereit’.
Die Zweiglein der Gottseligkeit
steckt auf mit Andacht, Lust und Freud;
so kommt der König auch zu euch,
ja, Heil und Leben mit zugleich.
Gelobet sei mein Gott,
voll Rat, voll Tat, voll Gnad.

Komm, o mein Heiland Jesu Christ,
meins Herzens Tür dir offen ist.
Ach zieh mit deiner Gnade ein;
dein Freundlichkeit auch uns erschein.
Dein Heilger Geist uns führ und leit
den Weg zur ewgen Seligkeit.
Dem Namen dein, o Herr,
sei ewig Preis und Ehr.

Can't We Be Friends?

by Paul James

I took each word she said as gospel truth
The way a silly little child would
I can't excuse it on the grounds of youth
I was no babe in the wild, wild wood

She didn't mean it
I should have seen it
But now it's too late

I thought I'd found the girl of my dreams
Now it seems
This is how the story ends
She's going to turn me down and say
'Can't we be friends?'

I thought for once it couldn't go wrong
Not for long
I can see the way this ends
She's going to turn me down and say
'Can't we be friends?'

Why should I care
Though she gave me the air?
Why should I cry
Heave a sigh, and wonder why?

I thought I found the gal I could trust
What a bust
This is how the story ends
She's going to turn me down and say
'Can't we be just friends?'

Veni Emmanuel

Medieval chant

Veni veni Emmanuel
Captivum solve Israel
Qui gemit in exilio
Privatus Dei Filio

Gaude gaude Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te Israel

Veni O Jesse virgula
Ex hostis tuos ungula
De specu tuos tartari
Educ et antro barathri

Veni veni o oriens
Solare nos adveniens
Noctis depelle nebulas
Dirasque noctis tenebras

Veni Clavis Davidica
Regna reclude caelica
Fac iter tutum superum
Et claude vias inferum

Veni veni Adonai
Qui populo in Sinai
Legem dedisti vertice
In Majestate gloriae

Veni O Sapientia
Quae hic disponis omnia
Veni viam prudentiae
Ut doceas et gloriae

Veni veni Rex gentium
Veni Redemptor omnium
Ut salvas tuos famulos
Peccati sibi conscios