We Three Kings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"We Three Kings of Orient Are" also known as "The Quest of the Magi" is a Christmas carol (technically an Epiphany carol) written by Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr., who wrote both the lyrics and the music as part of a Christmas pageant for the General Theological Seminary in New York City. It is suggested to have been written in 1857 but did not appear in print until his Carols, Hymns and Song in 1863.

Hopkins was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1820, and died in Hudson, New York in 1891. He was a clergyman, author, book illustrator, stained glass window designer, and editor of the Church Journal out of New York. He was the son of John Henry Hopkins, the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont and the eighth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. In 1872, John Henry Hopkins became rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Plattsburgh, NY.

1 Significance of the lyrics
2 Other versions / Covers
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Significance of the lyrics

The three kings are magi, probably Zoroastrians from the area of Persia, who, according to the bible, visited Jesus Christ, as a small child (not at the manger as often portrayed in nativity scenes). Although they were later assigned the names of Balthazar, Gaspar and Melchior, nowhere in the Bible does it say that there were only three magi. The gifts offered to the newborn Jesus have the following significance:

Gold represents Jesus' kingship, not as an earthly king but a heavenly one.
Frankincense represents Jesus' role as priest, he is the perfect intermediary between mankind and God.
Myrrh, associated with death, represents Jesus' role as Saviour, in connection with his ultimate purpose of sacrificing himself to redeem mankind.

[edit] Other versions / Covers

The Beach Boys recorded a version with an orchestral arrangement by Dick Reynolds on their 1964 album The Beach Boys' Christmas Album.
The Roches have a version of this song in which all but the final verse are sung.
The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan did a version of this song which they combined with another carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," for their 2004 Christmas album Barenaked for the Holidays.
Odds originally recorded a version of the song on the 1991 A Lump of Coal compilation. It reappeared most recently on their 2000 greatest hits album "Singles: Individually Wrapped."
Jethro Tull has an instrumental song inspired by "We Three Kings" named "We Five Kings", released on The Jethro Tull Christmas Album in 2003.
Kamelot played an instrumental of "We Three Kings" on their first live album.
Burl Ives sings this song on his album Christmas at the White House (1972).
Aly & AJ did a cover of this song on their 2006 Christmas album Acoustic Hearts of Winter.
Toby Keith covered the song on his 2007 album A Classic Christmas.
We Three Kings is also occasionally sung to the tune of Scarborough Fair. Some say this tune emphasises the reflective mood of the lyrics better than the original tune.^{[citation needed]}
Patti Smith - A Very Special Christmas 3 album, 1997
Steve Ouimette performed an instrumental, heavy metal/speed metal-based guitar version of the song as a downloadable track for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Amped did a punk version of this song
Christmas at the Devil's House performed an instrumental, Progressive Metal arrangement of the song on the 2007 album Christmas Music / Metal Madness - Santa vs. Satan in a Guitar Duel.
Similar to Jingle bells Batman smells, "We Three Kings" also has a children's parody, dating back at least to the late 1950s:

We three kings, of orient are
trying to smoke a rubber cigar. [The material of the cigar varies]
It was loaded,
it exploded!
Now we are seeing stars!

[Alternatively, some versions use a loud "BOOM!" or an uncomfortable period of silence instead of "Now we are seeing stars!"]

We two kings, of orient are... [emphasis added]

[That is, the song starts over, gradually diminishing the number of kings, ending with either "We no kings" or "Silent Night..."]