1. LONG-AGOwg HAPPEN DAVID HIS CITY.
THERE-ctr HAVE HUMBLE ANIMAL HOUSE.
INSIDE MOTHER BABY PUT-DOWN.
SIMPLE MANGER FOR HIS-lf BED.
MARY SHE-rt MOTHER SOFT-HEARTED.
JESUS CHRIST HE-lf C-H-I-L-D.

2. HE-lf LEAVE HEAVEN, VISIT EARTH.
HIMSELF-lf GOD, LORD RULE (2h)#ALL.
BUT NOW HE-lf LIVE HERE WITH US.
SIMPLE MANGER FOR HIS-lf BED.
OUR SAVIOR HOLY LIVE HERE EARTH
WITH POOR PEOPLE, HUMBLE, LOW.

3. DURING ALL HIS-lf WONDERFUL CHILDHOOD.
HE-lf WILL HONOR-rt AND OBEY-rt.
LOVE, TAKE-CARE-OF WOMAN HUMBLE.
BUT RIGHT-NOW her-TURN TAKE-CARE.
CHRISTIAN CHILDREN EACH SHOULD
SOFT-HEARTED, OBEDIENT, GOOD LIKE HE-lf.

4. HE-lf OUR MODEL MANY-LOOK-UP-TO-lf"over time".
EVERY-DAY LIKE US HE-lf GROW-UP.
YOUNG HE-lf SHORT, WEAK, CAN'T HELP SELF-lf.
TEARS AND SMILE LIKE US HE-lf KNOW.
AND HE-lf TAKE-PITY FOR OUR SAD.
AND HE-lf SHARE IN OUR alt.HAPPY'joy'.

5. FUTURE PAH OUR EYES WILL SEE HIM-lf.
WHY? HIS-lf LOVE PAY-OFF OUR DEBT.
YES, THE-lf C-H-I-L-D SWEET"so" AND SOFT-HEARTED
NOW OUR LORD IN HEAVEN FAR-AWAY.
AND HE-lf,hi LEAD HIS-lf CHILDREN ON-AND-ON
TO THE-rt,hi PLACE HE-lf RISE-UP #GO.

6. NOT IN THAT POOR LOWLY HOUSE
WITH O-X AND COW STANDING,
WE SHALL SEE HIM-lf; BUT IN HEAVEN
SIT-IN-Heaven HEAVENLY-FATHER SIT.
WE HIS-rt CHILDREN LIKE STAR CROWN"each"
DRESSED-UP WHITE ROBE SIT-AROUND-'Father and Son'.

Notes: DAVID - D-KING.

THERE-rt - [B], PO up, FO > the thing to be honored.

PUT-DOWN - (2h)[C] support the back of Baby Jesus and put him down into the manger.

MANGER - (2h)[5], FOs down interlace fingers and then separate while ascending in outward arcs.

SOFT-HEARTED - HEART + (2h)[5^] descend slightly twice while closing to (2h)[O^].

(2h)#ALL - (2h)[A], POs ><, FOs up, move away while opening to (2h)[L].

CHILDHOOD - [B], PO down, FO away, rises to show the period of growth.

her-TURN - [L], PO > NDS, FO away, tips thumb > lf to show that it is Mary's turn to take care of Jesus.

MANY-LOOK-UP-TO-God"over time" - (2h)[4] move FT as if many eyes were looking towards God and move in verticla circles.

GROW-UP - [B], PO down, FO away, rises to show the period of growth.

alt.JOY - HAPPY but hands move alt.

PAH - LIKE SUCCEED but "pah" is mouthed and has the meaning of "at long last". For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - finally.

PAY-OFF - [open 8] runs middle finger up palm (> wrist), changes to a [B], PO down, and then moves back across palm.

DEBT - [1^] taps FT against palm of [B], PO up, FO away. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Debt.

THE-rt - [B], PO up, FO > the thing to be honored.

SWEET"so" - sign SWEET while mouthing "soooh".

FAR-AWAY - [1], twists while moving away with tongue shuttling from side to side. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Far.

ON-AND-ON - CONTINUE"over time".

RISE-UP #GO - GET-UP + [G], PO > signer, FO up, moves away while closing to [bO].

LOWLY - (2h)[B^], POs ><, FOs up, move downwards arcing towards the signer. This is the opposite of the sign ADVANCED. For an animated gif of ADVANCED, see Animated dictionary of religious signs - Deaf Missions: Exalted.

STANDING - (2h)[V^], POs down, FOs away, are held like the four legs of an animal and both hand move in vertical circles along the plane of the legs.

SIT-IN-Heaven HEAVENLY-FATHER SIT-Jesus'-lf

CROWN"each" - (2h)[L:] (like BIG) removes crown on head with large single movement and places it on the three imaginary stars before the signer.

DRESSED-UP WHITE ROBE SIT-AROUND-'Father and Son' - (2h)[5], POs down, FOs away, alt. brush down the respective sides of the chest + WHITE + (2h)[A dot] trace the lapels of the robe and continue moving until they become (2h)[5], and hands move back as if to show the cape portion + (2h)[V:], POs away, FOs up, start by touching and then separate in an outward arc to show a row of people sitting around God.

Lyrics:

1. Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

2. He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

3. And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

4. For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

5. And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in Heav'n above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

6. Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

To hear a performance of this song, go to Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua recordings: Once in royal David's city.