The Friendly Beasts facts for kids
"The Friendly Beasts" is a traditional Christmas song. It tells the story of animals like a donkey, cow, sheep, camel, and dove. These animals give special gifts to baby Jesus when he was born. The song is very old. It seems to have started in France around the 1100s. It used the tune of an old Latin song called "Orientis Partibus."
This song is also known by other names. Some people call it "The Song of the Ass." Others know it as "The Donkey Carol" or "The Animal Carol." It's also sometimes called "The Gift of the Animals."
What is "The Friendly Beasts"?
The English words we sing today were written later. Robert Davis (1881-1950) wrote them in the 1920s. They first appeared in a play. The play was called "The Coming of the Prince of Peace: A Nativity Play." It included old Christmas carols. William Sloane Coffin, Helen A. Dickinson, and Clarence Dickinson arranged it. It was published in 1920. In the play, Robert Davis is named as the writer of "The Friendly Beasts." The song is also said to be from the 12th century. Clarence Dickinson arranged the music.
The song's lyrics tell a sweet story:
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.
I, said the donkey shaggy and brown,
I carried His mother up hill and down
I carried her safely to Bethlehem town;
I, said the donkey shaggy and brown.
I, said the cow all white and red,
I gave Him my manger for His bed,
I gave Him my hay to pillow His head;
I, said the cow all white and red.
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.
I, said the dove, from the rafters high,
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.
And every beast, by some good spell,
In the stable dark was glad to tell
Of the gift he gave Immanuel;
The gift he gave Immanuel.
Popular Recordings
Many artists have recorded "The Friendly Beasts." Burl Ives put the song on his 1952 album Christmas Day in the Morning. Since then, many others have sung it. These include Harry Belafonte, The Harry Simeone Chorale, and Johnny Cash. Belafonte and Cash called their versions "The Gifts They Gave."
Other famous singers who recorded it are Risë Stevens, Danny Taddei, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Sufjan Stevens also has a version. In 2008, Brian Stokes Mitchell sang this song. He performed it with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They even had animal "voices" for the donkey, cow, and sheep. Garth Brooks included it on his 1992 album Beyond the Season. That album sold millions of copies.
There is also a version of the song that includes a translation. It's called "The Friendly Beasts / L'Amikaj Bestoj." This version has all seven verses in English. It also has a translation in Esperanto. Gene Keyes created this version in October 2015.
