Joy to the World - A Harpsichord Christmas Carol

The text of this hymn was written by Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748); an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. Watts is credited with writing about 750 hymns. He first published “Joy to the World” in 1719 in a collection titled “The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship.”

The tune commonly used today for “Joy to the World” was composed by Lowell Mason (1792 – 1872); an American music director and banker. Mason composed over 1600 hymn tunes. His arrangement of this carol was first published in an 1848 edition of “The National Psalmist”.

Text:

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.