Oh, carry her safe to Bethlehem
Little gray donkey, tonight
A miracle rests on your four small feet
Little gray donkey, tonight
You know, after six days
Of creating the world
The Lord has surely earned
His seventh day of rest
For instance, take the day
He created the animals
Just as He was about finished
He picked up one more piece of clay
After shaping it to His liking
He added a pinch of courage
A dab of humility
Six grains of faithfulness
This one He made just a little bit ugly
But He gave it a big handful of solemn wisdom
Gave it a little pat
And sent it on its way
And then
Upon a winter's day
And in the long ago
The dusty road to Bethlehem
Was trod by many feet
And in that throng
A donkey walked
A donkey small and gray
As donkeys plod their donkey days
In cold, or rain, or heat
No hand reached out to touch him
As he went his donkey way
No scribe set down his donkey name
For men unborn to say
No eye could see a radiance
About this lowly one
Who plodded on to Bethlehem
With Mary and God's Son
Oh, carry her safe to Bethlehem
Little gray donkey, tonight
A miracle rests on your four small feet
Little gray donkey, tonight
All heaven is watching your mission divine
And over a stable a star waits to shine
While shepherds and wise men
All look for the sign
Little gray donkey, tonight
"A king will come"
The prophets cried
"A king will come
Like no king has come before
On noble steed
With golden crown
And silver trumpet call"
But on that silent holy night
There was no pomp
No pride in Bethlehem
The child-king came to Bethlehem
Upon a donkey small
A donkey old, and tired, and gray
With long and drooping ears
And no one dreamed
He brought our world
The light of after-years
A donkey plodding through the dust
To see God's will was done
And bearing on his rugged back
The Virgin and God's Son
Oh, carry her safe to Bethlehem
Little gray donkey, tonight
A miracle rests on your four small feet
Little gray donkey, tonight
All heaven is watching your mission divine
And over a stable
A star waits to shine
While shepherds and wise men
All look for the sign
Little gray donkey
Blessed little donkey
God's little donkey, tonight