CORRESPONDENCE: Silent Night

There was a kid called Joseph
He'd been dealt a bad hand
Was born poor and a bastard
But grew up to be a preacher
Made a new friend called Franz
Joe went over to Franz' house
Said: see this poem I once wrote?
I feel like it's got something
Can you please put some music to my words?
Looking down at the paper
And the title read: "Silent Night"
The first time they performed it
It was Christmas Eve
They sang it together
Franz played the guitar
I can see them before me
And this big shot organ builder
Fell in love with the song
Brought it back to his hometown
Where some folk singers heard it
And they spread it around
Slightly changed each time it was sung, was
"Silent Night"
When I'm down I just think about it
How they must have felt when they performed it!
If the choir cried when they sang it?
If anyone in the church that day said
"Well I like the older stuff better
They should do more upbeat tunes"
It could have been a day like any other day
Where Joseph would be preachin' and Franz would be playin
Nine out of ten days are slightly disappointing
But on the tenth, you see that light beckoning
They had no idea that Silent Night would turn out to be
"Silent Night"
Sing it with me
Let your voice carry
From all those miles away
If you sing loud enough
My microphone might record you
It might record you
Silent night
Holy night
Silent night
Holy night
Silent night
Holy night
Silent night
Holy night
In World War One, 1914
Because it was Christmas, there was a short truce on the battlefield
Both sides laid down their weapons, sang carols in the night
And the day after
Like nothing had happened, they continued the fight
There was only one song known to soldiers on both sides
And for a second
All was calm, and all was bright