It’s that time of year.  Leave it to the great Canadian Bahamas to cover one of our favorite Christmas songs, The Band’s Christmas Must Be Tonight, which was best featured on The Band’s last studio album, Islands.  Afie Jurvanen is one of the greats, and he, band and backing vocal-angels give a glistening reading of the song below.  After, listen to the Robbie Robertson-penned original, with the dynamic Rick Danko convincingly delivering and former Anglican-church organist Garth Hudson augmenting so well from behind the organ keys.  Sublime.  The song’s lyrics follow the videos.

“Come down to the manger, see the little stranger
Wrapped in swaddling. Lo! the Prince of Peace
Wheels start turning, torches start burning
And the old wise men journey from the East

CHORUS:
How a little baby boy bring the people so much joy
Son of a carpenter, Mary carried the light
This must be Christmas, must be tonight

A shepherd on a hillside, where over my flock I bide
On a cold winter night a band of angels sing
In a dream I heard a voice saying “fear not, come rejoice
It’s the end of the beginning, praise the new born king”

I saw it with my own eyes, written up in the skies
But why a simple herdsman such as I
And then it came to pass, he was born at last
Right below the star that shines on high”