Trans-Siberian Orchestra - What Child Is This? Lyrics






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Trans-Siberian Orchestra What Child Is This? Comments
  1. A.... A....

    Phantom of the Opera!!!!!!

  2. F.... ....

    Best dang song on this album, An Angel Came down is also great, on Christmas Eve and other stories

  3. J.... W....

    I was listening in my kitchen in mid-April, & thought I was hearing things, so i had to look up the lyrics. WOW !!!!

  4. T.... ....

    In Cleveland, local station WNCX presents all three albums in the Christmas Trilogy starting at 8pm every Christmas Eve. The narration is provided by Bill Louis, the local DJ who helped TSO break out. This song comes on near midnight, the timing is freaking perfect.

  5. f.... w....

    3:05 is when the song gets real good

  6. C.... B....

    I love how over-the-top melodramatic this is. This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

  7. A.... L....

    The best part starts at 3:00.

  8. f.... w....

    The story of simean the preist who the lord told him. He shall not die intill he see's the child of god

  9. B.... H....

    he sounds so much like MICHAEL CRAWFORD from Phantom of the Opera

  10. M.... A....

    This. Mans voice is fucking amazing

  11. M.... A....

    Damn this song almost made me a Christian.

    M.... A....

    Still praying it can get you the rest of the way!

  12. S.... ....

    Epic voice. I feel like we'll be winning a desperate, losing battle.

  13. W.... S....

    Only trust edited comments

  14. T.... ....

    I finally gave in to Christmas music last night I try my best to not listen to Christmas music before thanks giving but but buttttttt its TSO I was driving a holiday mint shake it was the perfect cold I gave in 😂😂😂

  15. P.... ....

    This is one of my favorite songs of all time.

  16. w.... ....

    IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS

  17. T.... ....

    As a long time TSO fan, this is by far one of the best songs they ever wrote. Brings tears to my eyes every time. It's that good. Last concert I went to I heard it performed live for the first time, what an experience that was.

    T.... ....

    You realize the didn't write this song. Its their version of an old traditional Christmas song.

    T.... ....

    EXPLOSIVE, INTENSE..no real words for THIS!!! amazing!!!

  18. T.... ....

    This is definitely my favorite TSO song. Followed by Christmas Eve, Sarajevo and Christmas Canon.

    T.... ....

    TerminusOmega13 I agree 100 percent w u.

    T.... ....

    I like oh holy night also (the instrumental )

  19. R.... C....

    Am I the only one that thinks that the entire album should be made into a musical?

    R.... C....

    Well...the concerts already kind of take that route.

  20. T.... M....

    The narration to the back story behind this song is so sad and makes this song even all the more powerful. The album follows numerous story lines, this song follows a story about a man who had his wife die in the hospital bed giving birth to his disabled son. In grief and agony, he signed off his son right there and then to be a ward of the court without ever having seen his face.

    *_Narration:_*

    The old man stood there thinking
    While staring in that old toy shop
    With its carousel still turning round
    In front of a music box clock

    For what good's a clock without a chime
    A useless thing that just keeps time
    Recording moments that come and leave
    But this clock's chimes struck midnight
    Upon a lost christmas eve

    And when the final chime had spoken
    And the twelfth bell had finally rung
    The indecision in the father was broken
    He now knew what had to be done

    So he got into a yellow cab
    And prayed that it might lead
    Through all this snow and streetlight glow
    To a past he might retrieve

    When the taxi dropped him off
    At the boarding house hotel
    It was a rundown building
    With a musty, rundown smell

    And he asked for his son
    From the hotel's night desk clerk
    Who said his son was not there
    He was not back from work

    When the father said that was impossible
    The clerk replied, "i'm not here to debate
    But he works at the hospital, just down the block
    If you want you can sit here and wait
    But he never returns till real late"

    Then the father tried asking another question
    But the clerk went back to watching his tv
    Which was also playing, "how the grinch stole christmas"
    And the father mused, "this movie has no sympathy,
    Well, at least not when it comes down to me"

    Once outside he saw the hospital's entrance
    And went to information by the front door
    Who confirmed that his son had a job there
    And worked up on the seventh floor

    So he took the elevator up to that floor
    Which was marked "maternity"
    And the man knew in his heart that this was a mistake
    For his son working here could not be

    But the nurse on duty reconfirmed that he did
    And since her rounds were about to begin
    If he would like to follow her
    She would gladly take the father to him

    So he followed her to a large dark room
    That to him seemed unusually empty
    Except for several incubators glowing on the right
    Each with a trembling baby

    These infants were all extremely frail
    And obviously in incredible pain
    And this sight cut deep into that father's soul
    And he asked the nurse, please, to explain

    "these children were born to mothers
    Who were addicted to crack cocaine
    And these children are born in complete withdrawal
    For that drug is still deep in their veins

    We can give them no other drugs to ease their withdrawals
    Since they are born premature and quite frail
    And any form of pain killer
    Could easily cause their small hearts to fail"

    "and what does my son do here?"
    The father asked, "he is not a patient, i assume"
    The nurse did not say a single word
    But nodded to the far left corner of the room

    And there the father saw his son
    Who looked like himself when he was a younger man
    Rocking back and forth in a rocking chair
    A trembling infant held in his hands

    And in his arms the child did not cry
    But slept to silent lullabies
    And his son rocked that newborn back and forth
    Until finally, a dream was caught
    But still at his rocking, his son faithfully kept
    Till that poor child's trembling had also, finally, left

    Then the nurse whispered softly
    Into the father's ear
    Something that a blind man could see
    But the father needed to hear

    Whispered to him in this room
    Filled with mankind's misbegotten
    Something that the father had known once
    But somehow had forgotten

    She said, "it is this way with each of us
    We all need to be held, at least twice
    Once upon the day that we are born
    And once more when we leave this life

    Your son has been coming to this place
    Since as long as i've been working here
    He's never missed a single day
    In nearly twenty years

    He always arrives promptly on time
    But a time card he does not keep
    For he never leaves this maternity room
    Until every last child is asleep"

    Then the nurse noticed the father
    Trying to choke back the things he now felt
    So mentioning she had to continue her rounds
    She quietly excused herself

    So he was now alone in the darkness
    Between the past and future caught
    Not knowing what to do
    As his mind flooded with so many thoughts

    Some beauty comes too early
    While its moment never waits
    And some beauty is always there
    But never seen, till it's too late

    Look! there is a moment
    It has just slipped away
    And so we lose our lives
    In such ordinary ways

    Where do we get our dreams from?
    Where do we get our faith?
    Is it something that we are born with
    Or is it something for which we must wait?

    The mist of things we once believed
    The childhood truths for which we grieve
    And in our lives could we have missed
    Those that in the dark, the angels kiss

    T.... M....

    There is a station here in Cleveland that plays this whole album with narration by one of our local djs every Christmas Eve, the same DJ who is the reason TSO has a national presence now. He narrates this so well, it even nearly brings my stone heart to tears. I wish I could find his rendition.

    T.... M....

    Am glad i read this..thank you

  21. C.... G....

    This song gives me chills. It's brilliant. I was lucky enough to see them in concert, and it was amazing to see this song performed live.

    C.... G....

    Tabby-in-the- TARDIS12 I saw them 2 Times. blown away both times!

    C.... G....

    I love going to their concerts! They're amazing!

  22. K.... W....

    His voice reminds me of Gerald Butler in Phantom of The Opera

    K.... W....

    i thought i was the only one XD

    K.... W....

    Nah. Gerard Butler would have rocked this song though.

  23. 2.... ....

    the kid name is jesus the king of kings

    2.... ....

    24daniel but he isn't king of Persia so he can't be king of kings because that is Persia



    By i am joking so don't get angry with me

  24. 9.... ....

    Could you be this old and have your life just begin? I love that line.

    9.... ....

    91Rapunzel I'm a old time TSO fan, seen them many times. But I can't explain... today I am that man.. "Could you be this old and have your life just begin".....

    9.... ....

    Story of hope!

  25. K.... C....

    He sounds so much like Iron Maidens lead singer!! Sounds so much like a heavy metal vocalist......... Awesome \m/

    K.... C....

    His voice sounds absolutely nothing like Bruce Dickinson. Dickinson is a completely different kind of singer with his tenor high vocals. The singer here sounds very similar to Meat Loaf.

    K.... C....

    I could see Blaze Bailey, sure. Not Bruce Dickinson or Paul DiAnno, but definitely can hear Blaze.

  26. H.... C....

    I wish he would come to our church and sing this song

  27. E.... ....

    I think this is my favorite xmas tune I have ever heard. Dudes voice is rich and the music has amazing quality paired with great lyrics. yes, yes and yes!

  28. B.... H....

    His voice is incredible!

  29. S.... T....

    Holding on, Holding off, Holing out, Holding in.

    S.... T....

    Simon Turpin I get it. Because those are the song lyrics

  30. A.... N....

    Can't believe this has got more views than their epiphany. :/ epiphany is a masterpiece.

    A.... N....

    +Aws Najjar Epiphany is great(and actually took parts of it's melody and structure from this song, BTW), but as Dwayne said it's long which is a turn off for some people(not me though), plus TSO is primarily known as a Christmas band. a lot of people don't even realize they do non-Christmas albums.

    A.... N....

    +Aws Najjar Epiphany is in my top three favorite TSO songs.. Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant..

    A.... N....

    +Taryn Palmer what are your other two?

    A.... N....

    +Aws Najjar Believe and Requiem (the fifth)

    A.... N....

    They are both great.

  31. T.... C....

    Absolutely love this song.  Rob Evan nails this... Reading by the light of a Lost Christmas Day...

  32. B.... R....

    The angels sing..(In the light of a lost Christmas day)

    B.... R....

    HEAVY METAL MAC HINE

    B.... R....

    HEAVY METAL MACHINE and

    B.... R....

    HEAVY METAL MACHINE According to the Bible, Angels never sing.

  33. K.... W....

    That piano coming in at 2:53 gets me every time. 

    K.... W....

    I have all of the piano books for each of their albums. Playing this along with the music is a huge experience.

    K.... W....

    I can't ever get enough of this song.

  34. P.... T....

    2:50 to the end is incredible! :D

    P.... T....

    That is when it gets serious.

  35. S.... ....

    Forgot about these guys this year...

    Kinda sad...

  36. S.... L....

    @RyanJap18 I think that's what it is. The man reads the story for the first time and is moved by the Holy Spirit.

  37. S.... H....

    Fun enjoyable song for the season.

  38. C.... S....

    If I had to guess what god sounds like, this would be it

  39. W.... A....

    Same here, although I've seen TSO twice, and still expect the opening riff to Hall Of The Mountain King after Mountains and Madness.

  40. P.... W....

    The overture is actually important to set up for 2:53.

  41. P.... W....

    Why did I never hear of TSO, before now?

  42. E.... V....

    \m/ \m/ Well said!

  43. E.... V....

    TSO is an army of Angels sent from Heaven & making a Thundering sound when they hit Earth \m/

  44. E.... V....

    This gives me chill's \m/

  45. B.... S....

    3:02-end goosebumps

  46. R.... K....

    Excellent...

  47. E.... ....

    DAMN but I love his voice! He did "What is Christmas" too. Does he tour with them?

  48. w.... ....

    this song brings tears to my eyes! amazing!!

  49. J.... C....

    Who dosent agree with you?

  50. J.... H....

    Rob Evan sings this? I thought it sounded like Andrew Ross.

  51. H.... ....

    "And the whisper of wings, in the cold winter's air, as the snow it drifts down, and visions appear everywhere..." : The bible speaks of dreaming dreams and having visions. I think all who diligently seek Christ experience this. There is no 'one way' these events take place. All walks are unique with Christ, in my opinion.

    That's a brief explanation of what this song means to me... I love it, personally.

  52. H.... ....

    "And the time and the years and the tears and the cost" : Following Christ is not easy. It exposes out weaknesses and leaves us bare in front of the lord. Carrying your cross surely has a cost we must count first.

    "And the hopes and the dreams, of each child that is lost": Those who are yet to find the Lord. We all have hopes and dreams of life after - no matter the resistance shown.

    CONT...

  53. H.... ....

    'Holding on, holding off, holding out, holding in.' : I believe, I don't know, I hope so, I'll keep it secret.

    'Could you be this old, and have your life just begin?': Born again at an age well past birth...

    "Tell me how many times can this story be told? After all of these years, it should all sound so old, but it somehow rings true, in the back of my mind, as I search for a dream that words can no longer define." : The story of Christ's good news. Told time and again, full of love.

    CONT

  54. H.... ....

    To me, this song references not only the story in the album, but also, from 2:53 on, an individual's struggle with Christ. We all, believers and non alike, share in our struggles on the concept of God.

    This song hits it very well:

    'In the dead of the night, as his life slips away' : We are all dying, our lives slipping away, for some, time is running out fast.

    'As he reads by the light, of a star far away': This represents the search for God in the darkness. Bible, feelings, etc.

    CONT..

    H.... ....

    such a powerful song

  55. s.... ....

    not really a huge problem, but technically its, "My English is limited a little bit." again, not a big deal, but it was driving me crazy.

  56. P.... B....

    I am an old Savatage fun... It's the first time I listen to TSO. It is remarkable how this music reminds me of them. Especially their last years (after the Handful of Rain).

  57. s.... ....

    this is awesome one of my favorite bands

  58. G.... ....

    And in the context of the song, I think it's indicating that all of those things are what the old man has been doing before going through the rebirth that song has been referring to, and now he's going to be better about it.

  59. G.... ....

    @filiusnaturalis8 It's a play on words, mainly.

    Holding on - usually means to not let go of something, especially not letting go of life, etc
    Holding off - putting something off until later, procrastinating. Often preventing yourself from doing something you need to do.
    Holding out - withstanding some kind of temptation or staying when most people have gone
    Holding in - keeping your thoughts to yourself, restraining yourself.

    not sure if that helps, but I hope it does!

  60. f.... ....

    Great song!!! This one of my favorite Christmas song.
    Question: what does it mean at "Holding on /Holding off /Holding out /Holding in"?
    (My English is limited little bit).
    Thanks for posting song!!

  61. L.... W....

    Like if this song is even more awesome with the snow flake button

  62. B.... ....

    @SuperSenshi My favorite part of the song is from 0:00 to the end.

  63. T.... H....

    I get goosebumps with these guys

  64. s.... ....

    I love the guitar wrapped in roses on the cover(how they "reused" it)..originally on the inside sleeve of the great
    SAVATAGE album "Streets"-A Rock Opera"....Mr Criss Oliva...R.I.P....just one of the reasons there is this project called Trans Siberian Orchestra...

  65. J.... ....

    4:20
    And asians appear everywhere..

  66. A.... J....

    It's so over the top but I love it!

  67. G.... M....

    @TsakirisAlexandros ehh actually ancient egyptian and judaism were completely separate until the Jewish population was enslaved by the egyptians, where small details mixed and slightly altered it. END OF DISCUSSION i just dont want to spam about religion on an awesome song like this

  68. G.... M....

    @TsakirisAlexandros Christianity came from Judaism so not really.

  69. f.... ....

    2:53 is amazing! I love this song. "In the dead of the night...."

  70. o.... ....

    you are right, this is good, lifts the mood, altogether a great song!

  71. T.... ....

    3:32 to 3:54 is so true and perfect.

  72. K.... K....

    Turn up the volume, close your eyes and enjoy!!!!

  73. d.... ....

    Any song they create using this formula is pure magic. Look at Night Castle: "There Was A Life" and "Epiphany" are prime examples!

  74. R.... R....

    @AtariMaxiToriyama Sometimes, but most of the time they are playing metal. TSO never plays metal, though they do have some more rockin' songs.

  75. S.... ....

    @zorland876 That about sums up the conversation. If anyone else wants to join in and fill in the gaps, I'd be obliged: Tell me, why are genres so loose? This isn't even called "metal," yet we have power metal bands like Visions of Atlantis, Excalion and Nocturnal Rites which are often just as soft.

  76. R.... R....

    @AtariMaxiToriyama You haven't given anything to discuss though. Just that you thought this was heavy than some power metal, to which I offered a clear response. To which you were "unsatisfied." Can't help you there.

  77. S.... ....

    @zorland876 I meant that I mentioned the fact that there are power metal acts which are not very heavy. I did not mean to imply that I actually mentioned specific bands. Also, I don't want to ARGUE, I just want to DISCUSS. I'm not interested in flinging insults and pretending I'm smarter than someone else. I want to know if there is a perspective which I have not considered.

  78. R.... R....

    @AtariMaxiToriyama Uh, you mentioned nobody, and the comment is incorrect anyway. I told you that this is not a metal song in the first place, I don't know any power metal act who could be less heavy than this group. If it doesn't satisfy you than come up with an argument.

  79. S.... ....

    @zorland876 That answer isn't really satisfying. I already mentioned power metal bands that are LESS heavy than this, but no one disputes the band's genre.

  80. R.... R....

    @AtariMaxiToriyama This isn't particularly heavy, not really metal. Plus, it depends how the majority of the material sounds; even if they had one legitimately metal song, that wouldn't make them a metal band.

  81. S.... ....

    Someone tell me: What's the difference between Progressive Melodic Rock, and symphonic metal? I cannot discern the difference. I've seen pure power metal albums that have music that sounds almost exactly like this.

  82. S.... ....

    @theinevitable56 Hah, that's absurd. He breathed the same air. In fact, this line actually misses the ENTIRE POINT of Jesus' incarnation here.

  83. J.... G....

    an absolute beauty and amazing symphony

  84. L.... M....

    Thanks for posting this!!!

  85. S.... ....

    My favorite part of the song is from (2:53) to the end. I like the rest of the song too, but I like that part the best.
    This song is pure sausesomeness! Thank you for posting it! ^_^

  86. F.... S....

    So awesome song. Truly a piece of art. I'm a heavy metal guy, but this is really good.