Joy to the World

Words:CM • Isaac Watts (1719); based on Psalm 98:4-9
Music:ANTIOCH • Original author unknown (c. 1831?), arr. Lowell Mason (1848), with historical influences

Words

1.

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

2.

Joy to the earth, 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.

3.

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.

4.

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, and wonders of His love.

Compared to Hymnals

  No. Words Music
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs 44 Identical Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2
Songs for Worship and Praise 944 Lacks vs 3;
At the end of vs 4, repeats “wonders” instead of “and wonders”1		 Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2;
Tenors and basses silent through “Let every heart prepare Him room”
Songs of Faith and Praise 1018 At the end of vs 4, repeats “wonders” instead of “and wonders”1 Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2;
Tenors and basses silent through “Let every heart prepare Him room”
Praise for the Lord 376 Identical Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2;
Tenors and basses silent through “Let every heart prepare Him room”
Hymns for Worship (Revised) 495 Identical Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2
Songs of the Church 291 At the end of vs 4, repeats “wonders” instead of “and wonders”1 Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2;
Tenors and basses silent through “Let every heart prepare Him room”
Sacred Selections n/a
Christian Hymns No. 2 378 Lacks vs 3;
At the end of vs 4, repeats “wonders” instead of “and wonders”1		 Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2;
Tenors and basses silent through “Let every heart prepare Him room”
Great Songs of the Church No. 2 429 At the end of vs 4, repeats “wonders” instead of “and wonders”1 Last note of “Let earth receive her king” much shorter2;
Tenors and basses silent through “Let every heart prepare Him room”
1making it awkward for the basses to know what word or syllable to sing when they rejoin all of the parts.
2though most people probably hold this note longer anyway.

Sources

Words

Music

Often incorrectly attributed to Lowell Mason or Handel. See the discussion in Chris Fenner’s Hymnology Archive. Earliest sources include:

Arranged and paired with Isaac Watts’ text by Lowell Mason:

References

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Through [Jesus] let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.
— Hebrews 13:15