—Refrain Melchior Frankincense to offer have I, Incense owns a Deity nigh: Prayer and praising All men raising, Worship Him God on High.

—Refrain Balthazar Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom;— Sorrowing, sighing, Bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

—Refrain[2] John Henry Hopkins Jr. organized the carol in such a way that three male voices would each sing a solo verse in order to correspond with the three kings.

[6] The carol centres around the Biblical Magi, who visited Jesus as a child in a manger (Matthew 2:1) sometime after his Nativity and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh while paying homage to him.

[8] At the time he was writing "We Three Kings" in 1857, John Henry Hopkins Jr. was serving as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

[12] Hopkins studied at the General Theological Seminary in New York City and after graduating and being ordained a deacon in 1850, he became its first music teacher five years later, holding the post until 1857 alongside his ministry in the Episcopal Church.

In the televised cartoon A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987), the Three Kings sing the verses in traditional choral style, while their camels perform the chorus as a doo-wop song.

The subject of the lyrics vary widely depending upon the region, with references to smoking explosive rubber cigars, selling counterfeit lingerie, or travelling to an Irish bar by taxi, car, and scooter.