Away In A Manger
It's a great time of year! Add to the atmosphere by playing "Away In A Manger", a classic Christmas carol, for your family and friends!
This song is familiar to many, many people. It uses only three chords, A, D, and E. Most beginners learn these chords early. So, in addition to showing you the chords to play I'll use this opportunity to introduce a few concepts about song transition.
Typical song transitions are:
- The Intro: Enough of the song to familiarize the audience with the tune and tempo.
- The Verse: The lyrics that tell the flowing portion of the story.
- The Chorus: Lyrics that contain the core message.
- The Bridge: A transition to connect the beginning verses and chorus to the big finish. James brown would often act like he was ending a song, then shout to his band-mates, "Take me to the bridge!" and go back into the start of his big finish! Quite a showman!
- The Outro: Usually a repeated portion of the chorus, used to end the song.
First the chords and lyrics to "Away In A Manger", then the new stuff...
Chords You Need To Know
This version of "Away In A Manger" is in the key of A. Only three chords (all Major chords) are used: A, D, and E. Here's what they look like:
 |
By the way... if you haven't read the article on Smooth Chord Change, take a look now. This song is a great one for practicing those techniques.
The Chords with the Lyrics...
If you want to jump right in and start strumming... here are the chords and lyrics. Once you get the song down, read on below to learn about song transitions.
Verse 1:
A D A
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
E D A
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
A D A
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
E A D E D
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
Use the same chord pattern for the remaining verses:
Verse 2:
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle til morning is nigh.
Verse 3:
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there.
The Intro, or Lead-In
Let's assume that you've practiced "Away In A Manger" for a while, and it sounds good to you. You decide to step out of your shell and play for family or friends.
If you just start singing and strumming, it will take a few words for others to figure out what you're singing before they join in. To avoid that, use an Intro.
An Intro, or introduction, is a short passage that contains a key melody (or chord pattern) to define the tempo and prepare the audience for the song.
For many songs, choose the chorus, or the last phrase of the chorus, and simply play the chord progression as you sing the words of the song in your head. For "Away In A Manger", you'd play the chords for "The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay" (E - A - D - E - D). This audience gets a feel for the beat, and they will naturally assume that you're about to play the start of the first verse.
If we rewrite the chord chart and include the Intro, it would look like this:
Intro:
E A D E D
Verse 1:
A D A
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
E D A
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
A D A
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
E A D E D
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
etc...
The Outro
You're playing along...
The Intro went well...
The verses sound like angels singing...
Your guitar playing sounds like Gabriel himself...
You're coming up on the last line of the last verse...
Don't ruin the mood by coming to a screeching halt! Use an Outro to wind-down "Away In A Manger" properly (and give your audience time to applaud!).
An Outro (as you have certainly deduced on your own) is the opposite of an Intro. This time, it's a short passage to bring the song to a conclusion. It's often a repeat of the Intro, though most people will ritard (slow down) as they reach the last chord or two.
Here's the latest rewrite, with an Intro and Outro:
Intro:
E A D E D
Verse 1:
A D A
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
E D A
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
A D A
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
E A D E D
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
other verses...
Outro:
Ritard
E A D E D
Verse, Chorus, Bridge
Verses are easy enough to pick out. They're labeled in the example above.
They tell a progressing story, and rarely repeat.
"Away In A Manger" doesn't contain a chorus or bridge section, but we can use other familiar songs to explain the concepts.
The chorus ties all the verses together. Most people probably know the words to "Jingle Bells," another popular Christmas song. In that song, the chorus is "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh."
Verses typically don't repeat; but a chorus will repeat several times. Some songs, such as "Good Day Sunshine" by The Beatles, begin with the chorus.
Speaking of The Beatles, Lennon and McCartney wrote remarkable bridge passages. For example, in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the passage "It's wonderful to be here, it's certainly a thrill, you're such a lovely audience, we'd like to take you home with us, we'd love to take you home" is a bridge.
Another clear example of a bridge is found in The Beatles' "A Day In The Life". The song is moving along hauntingly, then reaches the bridge... A recounting of the fairly normal beginning to the day: "Woke up. Got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, and looking up, I fell noticed I was late. Found my coat and grabbed my hat. Make the bus in seconds flat. Found my way upstairs and had a smoke. Then somebody spoke and I went into a dream."