In the middle of a forest
There's a clearing by a stream
Where a mother holds her newborn
And the child begins to dream
And he dreams of hopes unspoken
When the tears of man will cease
And his mother holds him closer
For he is the Prince of peace
And the moon is looking downward
Casting shadows through the trees
And the stars are shining brighter
As they whisper what they see
How the emperor and the pauper
With the lion and the lamb
Kneel down before the infant
For his peace they understand
Hark, the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Glory all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the heavenly host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark, the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Let the bells ring out these tidings
Let it echo across the land
That a king is born in Bethlehem
And his kingdom is at hand
Let the world rejoice together
As it looks upon the stars
Knowing every man's our brother
And that every child is ours
As he flew o'er Sarajevo
There were scars upon the land
There were scars upon the people
It was hard to understand
And the deepest scars of all
Which to humans are unseen
But the angel could see clearly
Were the scars upon the dreams
Like Belfast and Burundi
Rwanda, Palestine
The only decorations here
Had been awarded for their crimes
And in gardens where the children played
Now soldiers only trod
And stranger still, he heard some say
That they were killing for their god
Now the angel heard god speak many times
And he had always paid attention
But this killing of ones neighbor
Was something the Lord had never mentioned
But as he neared the earth
Of a recent battleground
From among the ruins
He once more heard the sound
It was a single cello playing
A forgotten Christmas song
And even on that battlefield
The song somehow belonged
And as he flew away
The angel did take note
That where he found this music played
One always could find hope