Once in Royal David`s City
View chords used in this chart
D A D A A7 D A A7 D
1. Once in Royal David`s ci - ty stood a lowly cattle shed,
A D A A7 D A A7 D
where a mother laid her ba - by in a manger for his bed.
G D A D G D A A7 D
Mary was the mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.
D A D A A7 D
2. He came down to earth from heaven,
A A7 D
who is God and Lo - rd of all,
A D A A7 D A A7 D
and his shelter was a sta - ble, and his cradle was a stall.
G D A D
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
G D A A7 D
lived on earth our Saviour holy.
D A D A A7 D
3. And through all his wondrous childhood
A A7 D
he would honour and o - bey,
A D A A7 D A A7 D
love and watch the lowly maiden in whose gentle arms he lay.
G D A D G D A A7 D
Christian children all must be, mild, obedient, good as he.
D A D A A7 D A A7 D
4. For he is our childhood`s pattern, day by day like us he grew.
A D A A7 D
He was little, weak and helpless,
A A7 D
tears and smiles like us he knew.
G D A D
And he feeleth for our sadness,
G D A A7 D
and he shareth in our gladness.
How to play Once in Royal David`s City
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is D. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.