The Oak Ridge Boys - Christmas Medley Lyrics
Lyrics
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The Little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay
The Little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The first Noel: the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
"Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel.
"Born is the King of Israel."
Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room,
And Heaven and Nature sing,
And Heaven and Nature sing,
And Heaven and Heav'n and Nature sing.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the Nation's rule.
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders and wonders of His love.
Angels, we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o'er the plains.
And the mountains did reply,
Eching their joyous rings.
Gloriah, in Excelcus Deo.
Gloriah, in Excelcus Deo.
In Excelcus Deo.
Video
Home Free - Beautiful Star of Bethlehem Ft. The Oak Ridge Boys and Jeffrey East
Meaning & Inspiration
In the version of these classics performed by The Oak Ridge Boys and Jeffrey East, there’s a specific line that stops me cold every time: "Let every heart prepare him room."
It’s such a polite, almost domestic invitation. When you look at it on the page, it feels like a soft suggestion to tidy up the living room before a guest arrives. It’s a bit of a cliché, honestly—a phrase we hear so often in December that it loses its edge. We treat it like we’re rearranging furniture or clearing space on a shelf.
But there’s a massive, uncomfortable tension here if you actually sit with the theology.
"Prepare him room" implies that the heart is currently occupied. It’s full of stuff. It’s cluttered with anxieties, petty grievances, pride, and the noise of our own schedules. The irony is that the One we’re supposed to be making room for is the same One who, in the earlier stanzas of these combined carols, had absolutely no room made for him at the inn. The Creator of the cosmos ends up in a feeding trough because there was no vacancy in the established order.
When I hear the Oak Ridge Boys deliver that line, I’m not hearing a simple holiday request. I’m hearing an eviction notice.
In Luke 2:7, the Greek word katalyma—the "inn" or "guest room"—is significant. It’s the same word used later in the Gospels for the Upper Room where the Last Supper occurs. There is a cosmic reversal happening here. Jesus enters a world that refuses to house Him, yet He demands that we clear out the very things we’ve prioritized over His presence. It isn’t about just "making space" like you’d clear a spot for a visitor; it’s about recognizing that our hearts are already crowded with idols, and He doesn't just want a seat at the table. He wants the whole house.
It lands hard. It’s not a comfortable feeling to realize that my "prepared" heart is often just a storage unit for my own interests. We sing it so cheerfully, but if we truly allowed the King of Israel into the entirety of our internal architecture, would we have enough room for ourselves left over?
The poetry here isn't just about hospitality. It’s a challenge to the architecture of our souls. We keep Him in the manger—that's easy, that's cozy, that's a static picture we can put on a mantelpiece. It’s much harder to "prepare room" for the King who intends to occupy the throne of the heart. I’m still not sure I know how to do that fully, or if I even want to. But the line remains, waiting to be taken seriously, whether I’m ready or not.