Away in a Manger

Background

The carol's words first appeared on 2 March 1882 in the "Childrens' Corner" section of the anti-Masonic journal The Christian Cynosure, under the heading "Luther's Cradle Song". An anonymous author contributed the first two verses, claiming the hymn was composed by Martin Luther for his children and still sung by German mothers. Near-identical articles appeared in The Sailors' Magazine and Seamen's Friend (November 1883) and Little Pilgrim Songs (preface dated 10 November 1883). The May 1884 issue of The Myrtle also included the carol with a similar attribution to Luther.

The third stanza, "Be near me, Lord Jesus", is absent from early sources. Its first known appearance was in Gabriel's Vineyard Songs (1892), set to a melody by Charles H. Gabriel. Decades later, a story attributed the third verse to John T. MacFarland, but since that story dates the stanza to 1904–1908—over a decade after its first known appearance—the claim is considered suspect. It has been suggested that Gabriel may have written the third stanza himself.

The carol's early popularity is reflected in a report from an American mission in Maharashtra, India (published 1885, covering 1884), stating that Luther's cradle hymn was a favorite. By 1891, the carol was sweeping the United States, with at least four musical settings published that year.