Away in a Manger
A simple children's carol about the baby Jesus in the manger, with a closing prayer.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“Away in a Manger” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
The carol describes the baby Jesus asleep in the hay under the stars, with the cattle nearby. The last stanza asks Jesus to stay close and to bless all children.
It rests on Luke 2:7, which says Mary laid her son in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
It is sung at Christmas, often by children. The first two stanzas were printed in Philadelphia in 1885 without an author's name. Stories that Martin Luther wrote it are not true.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Anonymous (sts. 1-2); st. 3 attributed to John T. McFarland, 1885 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Tune | MUELLER · James R. Murray, 1887 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only). The words are not transcribed here yet.
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.