Answer the Knock at the Door

The candles are bright and the fire is warm
We’re safe from the cold and the night and the storm
Within our four walls there's comfort and cheer
Let us toast our good fortune and bless the new year
As we raise our glasses – a knock at the door
A rude interruption that we could ignore
The table is laid, but there’s still room for more
So answer the knock at the door

And welcome the late-comer lost on the road
Who comes unannounced after so long abroad
And welcome the prodigal, proud and outcast
Who comes in repentance for bitterness past
Welcome the traveller with tales to be told
Welcome the neighbor whose hearth has grown cold
Welcome the refugee, hungry and poor
The table is laid but there’s still room for more
So answer the knock at the door

And as we are gathered with family and friends
We long for the ones who will not come again
But leave no glass untasted and no chair unfilled
When we gather in love, they are all with us still
So welcome the joyful and those who still mourn
And the bride and the groom and the child newborn
The circle’s complete, but there’s still room for more
So answer the knock at the door

Within our four walls, there's comfort and cheer
So toast our good fortune and bless the new year
And should we be rich or should we be poor
May we always get up for the knock at the door
The table is laid but there’s plenty for more
So answer the knock at the door
Answer the knock at the door