heart song tonight

Touching my heart as I sing to the baby:

 

Simple Gifts" was written by Elder Joseph Brackett .   He wrote the music when he first joined the Shakers at Gorham, Maine, when his father's farm helped to form the nucleus of a new Shaker settlement. He later wrote the lyrics while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848. 

These are the lyrics to his one-verse song:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

 

Several Shaker manuscripts indicate that this is a "Dancing Song" or a "Quick Dance." The references to "turning" in the last two lines have been identified as dance instructions.

The song was largely unknown outside of Shaker communities, until it became world famous- thanks to its use in Aaron Copland's score for Martha Graham's ballet Appalachian Spring, first performed in 1944.

And tonight, as I sat in the quiet dark, singing along to the lullabies on the cd in the player in Sunny's room, Simple Gifts came round and was just right.

Sent from my iPhone

Comments

[mary]

I bought this CD for my brand new great niece a year ago. Jewel has the perfect voice for these songs.

[Virginia]

What a beautiful song. Being originally from Kentucky, as a child I always enjoyed our car trips that included visiting the historic Shaker village in Pleasant hill. The clean simplicity of their buildings and description of their life always appealed to me. As do Quaker ceremonies -- a similar feeling. Thanks for sharing.