So, I got curious as to why some versions of Joy to the World has "saints and angels sing" and some versions have "heav'n and nature sing." As it turns out, the "saints and angels" version was adapted by W. W. Phelps, and early LDS songwriter, as part of many changes he made to the song to change the song's focus from the birth of Christ to the Second Coming of Christ. The version that's in our hymnbooks today seem to have kept some of Phelps's changes and reverted some of them to the original version. In my opinion, both versions merit existence because both events are worth singing about. Jesus Christ has come, and He will come again. Both the past and future arrivals of Christ are worth celebrating. Granted, I have a preference for the version I'm most familiar with, the one in our hymnals, but I'm glad that the other versions exist. We should have songs to celebrate both the birth and the return of the Savior.
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