Two Babes

Two babes were born in the self-same town

On the ve­ry same bright day

They laughed and cried in their mo­thers’ arms

In the ve­ry self-same way;

And both seemed pure and in­no­cent

As fall­ing flakes of snow;

But one of them lived in a ter­raced house

And one in the street be­low.

Two child­ren played in the self-same town

And the child­ren both were fair

But one had curls brushed smooth and round

The other had tan­gled hair.

The child­ren both grew up apace

As oth­er child­ren grow;

But one of them lived in a ter­raced house

And one in the street be­low.

Two maid­ens wrought in the self-same town

And one was wedd­ed and loved

The oth­er one saw through the cur­tains’ part

The world where her sis­ter moved;

And one was a smil­ing hap­py bride;

The oth­er knew care and woe;

For one of them lived in a ter­raced house

And one in the street be­low.

Two wo­men lay dead in the self-same town

And one had ten­der care;

The oth­er was left to die alone

On her pal­let so thin and bare;

The one had ma­ny to mourn her loss

For the oth­er few tears would flow;

For one had lived in a ter­raced house

And one in the street be­low.

If Christ who died for the rich and poor

In won­drous ho­ly love

Took both of the sis­ters in His arms

And car­ried them home above;

Then all the dif­fer­ence van­ished quite

For in Heav­en none would know

Which one of them lived in a ter­raced house

And which in street be­low.