“...foil thy foes with joy” In this last episode for the Christmas season, I share about a song that I learned this year. The song, This Little Babe, was written by a Jesuit Priest in the late 1500s and then put to music in the 20th century. The battle cry to overcome Satan comes in the form of a baby. I share each verse of the song and how we can think about it in relation to the Christmas season. I especially love the quote by E.T. Sullivan about How God does his work. I am super grateful that I learned about this song and hope you enjoy it as well. I will see you in 2026!
Show Notes: Hi Friends! I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. Below are all the references.
Why I chose to focus on a single Christmas song
Winter reflections, slowing down, and noticing small frustrations
Discovering “This Little Babe” through choir
The historical and spiritual background of the poem and music
Christ as the unexpected warrior
Hope, joy, and victory through humility rather than force
How Christmas music can deepen spiritual understanding
Poem written by Robert Southwell, a Jesuit priest (1561–1595)
Set to music by Benjamin Britten as part of A Ceremony of Carols (1942)
Written during times of religious persecution and global war
Structured musically to sound like a battle cry
A dramatic contrast between vulnerability and power
God accomplishes great work in unexpected ways
Christ enters the world as a helpless baby, not a conquering warrior
Tears, cries, and humility become weapons of victory
Shepherds and angels as witnesses to divine truth
Joy as the means by which we “foil our foes
Hope rooted in Christ rather than circumstances
“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, He goes about it in a very unusual way… The greatest forces in the world are babies.”
— E. T. Sullivan
Poem by Robert Southwell (1561–1595)
Verse 1
This little Babe, so few days old,
Is come to rifle Satan’s fold;
All hell doth at his presence quake,
Though he himself for cold do shake.
For in this weak, unarmèd wise,
The gates of hell he will surprise.
Verse 2
With tears he fights and wins the field;
His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shot are babish cries,
His arrows looks of weeping eyes;
His martial ensigns cold and need,
And feeble flesh his warrior’s steed.
Verse 3
His camp is pitched in a stall,
His bulwark but a broken wall;
The crib his trench, haystacks his stakes;
Of shepherds he his muster makes;
And thus, as sure his foe to wound,
The angels’ trumps alarum sound.
Verse 4
My soul, with Christ join thou in fight;
Stick to the tents that he hath pight.
Within his crib is surest ward;
This little Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy,
Then flit not from this heavenly Boy.
Because this poem was written in the late 1500s, some of the language can feel unfamiliar. Here are simple explanations for a few of the key words and phrases:
Rifle — to plunder or raid
“To rifle Satan’s fold” means to invade or overthrow Satan’s domain.
Fold — an enclosure for sheep
A biblical image referring to Satan’s control or territory.
Unarmèd wise — unarmed manner
Christ comes without weapons or physical protection.
Babish — childlike or infant
“Babish cries” refers to the crying of a baby.
Ensigns — banners or flags used in battle
“Martial ensigns cold and need” suggests weakness and poverty instead of strength and power.
Steed — a horse
“Feeble flesh his warrior’s steed” means Christ’s human body is the means by which He fights.
Bulwark — a defensive wall or fortification
A “broken wall” emphasizes vulnerability rather than strength.
Trench — a protective ditch used in battle
The crib becomes Christ’s place of defense.
Muster — to gather troops
“Of shepherds he his muster makes” means shepherds are the first called to witness Him.
Alarum — an alarm or call to battle
The angels announce Christ’s coming like a trumpet signaling war.
Pight — pitched or set up
“Tents that he hath pight” means the place where Christ has chosen to dwell.
Ward — protection or defense
“Surest ward” means the safest protection.
Foil — to defeat or frustrate
“Foil thy foes with joy” means to overcome enemies through joy.
Flit not — do not flee or turn away
A call to remain faithful and close to Christ.
Southwell uses military imagery to show that Christ defeats evil not through violence or force, but through humility, joy, suffering, and love. The archaic language reinforces the contrast between what we expect from a warrior and the surprising way God chooses to save the world.
Singing this piece as part of a women’s choir
Why music helps truth settle into the heart differently than words alone
The contrast between “gentle” Christmas music and this bold, joyful war cry
How Christlike joy, faith, and compassion are our strongest defenses
Why Christmas reminds me that God always keeps His promises
As Christmas approaches, I invite you to reflect on the ways Christ brings hope into your life — not through force or perfection, but through joy, humility, and love. If we want to overcome darkness in our own lives, we don’t do it by fighting like the world fights. We do it by clinging to Christ and choosing joy.
Robert Southwell, “This Little Babe” (poem)
Benjamin Britten, A Ceremony of Carols (1942)
E. T. Sullivan, quoted in The Treasure Chest (1965), edited by Charles L. Wallace
Bonnie L. Oscarson, First Presidency Christmas Devotional (2014)
Luke 2:1–20 — The Nativity account
Isaiah 9:6 — Christ as the Prince of Peace
President Gordon B. Hinckley, teachings on Christ and hope
Choir performance recordings of “This Little Babe” (YouTube)
I am Camille Johnson, and this is Finding the Floor.
Stories and reflections of midlife motherhood, family, and finding meaning in it all.
Join me as I share a little piece of my life and figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
Hey everyone, welcome to Finding the Floor.
And today I'm going to talk about a Christmas song.
So first of all, how's everyone doing?
We've had a good amount of snow.
This weekend, we had this projected lake effect snow that was going to bring maybe 5 to 10 inches.
And so it started snowing and it was snowing A lot.
And then it was probably started at 7, like on Saturday night.
And I was like, my gosh, this is happening.
It's going to be amazing, this storm.
And the storm was not that great.
I mean, it like stopped at like 9.
And so the next morning, you're like, come on.
And then just like totally dump on people just a few miles south.
Anyway, they didn't get that much snow.
And I was kind of disappointed.
So that was just kind of funny.
So it's not just kids who sometimes want a good snowstorm for things to get canceled.
You can just like take a minute to breathe.
That's just kind of how I felt.
But anyway, I had a good Sunday no matter what.
But the other thing I was thinking about yesterday is it's so hard to walk your dog in the winter.
And maybe it's just because I have this little dog
Okay, we tried one little boot.
So I was trying a second one and things were going well.
And then she started running and one came off.
And as we're walking, like there's only very few sidewalks that get shoveled.
And so all of them, you're like trudging through the snow.
I know dogs are probably made to be tougher than that, but my dog is a small dog who needs boots.
So that's just my one complaint about winter.
And 2, it's just hard to walk like on ice and snow when things are not cleared off.
I guess I obviously I've made it.
My dog's just turned 8 and we've had her for almost her whole life, minus four months.
So we've obviously made it through enough winters to figure this out.
but I haven't been able to get her to wear boots.
So that's my goal so that maybe we can go on some longer walks so she can get in her exercise.
It's been kind of freezing, but then today it's sort of like warmed up.
So I do have to say it just makes it hard to want to wake up and get out of bed when it's so cold.
Okay, enough of my complaining about the snow.
And it's part of a movement in the ceremony of carols, which I haven't seen.
Like I had no idea the song existed until the little women's choir that I'm in
learned this song and we performed it at Christmas time this year.
So I think two things that are cool about this song.
First of all, that the poem was written by this Jesuit priest, okay?
This Jesuit priest lived during the reign of Elizabeth I.
So if I remember my history right, Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII,
and the daughter of his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
And Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church because he wanted to get divorced.
So they made like a whole new religion, Church of England.
So, okay, anyway, so this priest wrote this poem.
But then the fun part of the story is Benjamin Britten, who
And he, again, like I said, considered one of the greatest opera composers.
And he happened to be traveling from America, where he had been living for three years.
He's from England, back to England.
And when they stopped at Halifax, he ended up buying this
the copy of the English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, which included this poem by Robert Southwell.
And then, because he had this time, he writes this song.
And I don't know if he also wrote the whole opera, but it was during this time.
So he's, and it is also in 1942, which is like in the middle of World War II that's happening.
So I find it really interesting because this song sounds like a battle cry.
But the way that Benjamin Britten writes the song and puts it together, it's just really cool.
So it begins with everyone in unison.
And then we start going in around just two parts in the second verse.
And then the third verse, it's a three-part round.
And it's really hard to understand the words, and I think maybe there's a reason for that.
But the words are really important.
Like, it sounds like a bit of a battle cry if you were to, like,
Like you wouldn't imagine a baby born and that baby will end the war.
And that's exactly what basically happened.
The baby was the promise of this ending
of the war that Christ would overcome.
So the poem in itself makes an impact.
Putting it to that music makes an even bigger impact.
So I'm going to start with the first verse or first stanza of the poem.
So the first verse goes, This little babe, so few days old, Is come to rifle Satan's fold.
All hell doth at, his presence quake, Though he himself for cold do shake.
For in this week, unarmed wise, The gates of hell he will surprise.
I feel like I need to sing it.
Think about this baby coming into the world that is so dependent on his mother.
But Robert Southwell makes a point that the gates of hell he will surprise.
Like this is not what you would think if you were
needing to end a battle, you would send a strong warrior.
And yet, God knows, he sends a baby.
And I remember looking for it last year and I couldn't find it and I finally found it.
And I'm so excited to share it with you because it sort of relates to that last line.
And it was quoted by Bonnie Oscarson in the 2014 First Presidency Christmas devotional.
And then I found it in a couple other places, like President Hinckley quoted it in an article.
He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts.
Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother.
The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts.
The greatest forces in the world are babies.
And this was quoted in The Treasure Chest, which was edited by Charles L.
He doesn't stir up earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts.
Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother.
I just think that is so profound.
That God's greatest work is us.
And the way he sends him is so simple.
I just think it's so important to remember that.
So the very lines of that first verse, for in this weak, unarmored, wise,
The gates of hell he will surprise.
That is how God surprises Satan.
And he sent the most important baby.
And that's why we're celebrating.
Okay, the second line, or the second verse goes, with tears he fights and wins the field.
His naked breast stands for a shield.
And yet this Jesuit priest is saying this is how God sent
Like all those things are just a contrast of what you think we need.
And so I think that's also a really good symbol for us.
we don't get what we think we need, but we get what we actually need, if that makes sense.
And they didn't get a warrior.
And it was so unexpected that many just didn't believe.
That second verse, it's in around just two parts.
And then this third verse, as you listen to the song, it's really hard to understand the words.
And this again is kind of like how he sets up and is ready for battle.
So in the third verse, and it's all in around 3 parts.
His camp is pitched in a stall, his bulwark, but a broken wall.
So he's got shepherds and angels.
They know the truth of who is coming.
who was ultimately executed for his connection to Rome, like his belief.
Think of a more simple way or a place to start a battle or the simplest of people, right?
He's born in a manger, which some considered it probably was like a cave-like situation.
And then who are his first witnesses?
go to share this great message that they're so excited about?
It's to the shepherds, these same shepherds who are probably taking care of the Passover sheep.
So they have to take care of them.
So they know how to take care of a
And that is who the angels tell.
And they go and are the first witnesses to Jesus's birth.
I just think that's such an awesome symbol.
of the symbol of the Lamb of God.
So then you go into kind of the last part of the song.
And most of it's in unison or in parts, but we're not singing in around.
It says, my soul with Christ, join thou in fight.
Stick to the tense that he hath pite.
Within his crib is sure a sword, this little babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, then flit not from this heavenly boy.
And it's just a very kind of just super strong ending.
And the priest is saying, I am joining in the fight.
But it actually is what saves us.
So we're joining in the fight.
I love, it's like, within his crib is surest ward.
This little babe will be thy guard.
Don't forget that he will protect us.
and that he does, this little baby grows up and does the greatest work for us.
And then this very, the last four lines, I just love the best.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, then flit not from this heavenly boy.
The angels are declaring the joyous news.
They are watching for the sign for the Messiah and they recognize the importance of it.
The warrior comes not to bring us down, but to save people with joy and with happiness.
We joke in the choir that it's sort of like
a punch in the face Christmas song instead of like a sweet silent night or something like that.
We share the joy of Jesus Christ.
There's so many things that were taught through Jesus Christ.
So I think about some of the hard situations you're in.
And then I wanted just at the very end to repeat that quote by E.T.
Sullivan because I just thought it's such a good quote.
He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts.
Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother.
And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart.
and she puts it into the mother's mind, and then God waits.
The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts.
The greatest forces in the world are babies.
The greatest force for good, our Savior, who wants good.
A reminder that God always keeps his promises.
It's been such a cool song to learn.
It's kind of fun to have some new Christmas songs.
So again, it's called This Little Babe, and I will put a link to a song.
This little babe, so few days old, is come to rifle Satan's fold.
All hell doth at his presence quake, though he himself for cold do shake.
For in this weak, unarmored wise, The gates of hell he will surprise.
His camp is pitched in a stall,
My soul with Christ, join thou in fight, Stick to the tense that he hath pite,
Within his crib is surest ward, this little babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, then flit not from this heavenly boy.
Hey, you guys, that's it for this year.
Thanks for such a wonderful year and we will talk to you next year.
I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
Special thanks to Seth Johnson for creating and performing the theme music.
Come back next week and thanks for listening!