The Friendly Beasts
"The Friendly Beasts" is a traditional Christmas song about the gifts that a donkey, cow, sheep, camel, and dove give to Jesus at the Nativity. The song seems to have originated in 12th-century France, set to the melody of the Latin song "Orientis Partibus".
Lyrics
1 Jesus, our brother, strong and good,was humbly born in a stable rude,
and the friendly beasts around Him stood,
Jesus, our brother, strong and good.
2 “I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown,
“I carried His mother uphill and down,
I carried His mother to Bethlehem town;
I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.
3 “I,” said the cow, all white and red,
“I gave Him my manger for his bed,
I gave Him hay to pillow His head;
I,” said the cow, all white and red.
4 “I,” said the sheep with curly horn,
“I gave Him my wool for His blanket warm,
He wore my coat on Christmas morn;
I,” said the sheep with curly horn.
5 “I,” said the dove, from the rafters high,
“I cooed Him to sleep that he should not cry,
we cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I;
I,” said the dove, from the rafters high.
6 Thus all the beasts, by some good spell,
in the stable dark were glad to tell
of the gifts they gave Emmanuel,
the gifts they gave Emmanuel.