Dance then,
wherever you may be
"I am the Lord of the Dance" said He
"I'll lead you all whom ever you may be
I'll lead you all in the dance" said He.
I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced with the moon and I danced with the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth.
I danced for the Scribe and the Pharasee
But they wouldnt dance and they wouldn't follow Me
I danced with the fishermen James and John,
They came to me and the dance went on!
I danced on the Sabbath when I cured the Lame
The holy people thought it was a shame
They stripped me, they whupped me, and they hung me high
They left Me high on a cross to die
I danced on Friday and the sky turned black
Its hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body and they thought I'd gone
But I am the dance and I still live on
They cut me down and I leapt up high!
I am the light that will never never die
I'll live in you if you'll live in me
I am the lord of the dance said He!
So dance, then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance said He
I'll lead you all wherever you may be
I'll lead you all in the dance said He.
The words and musical arrangement to this hymn are under copyright. If you wish to print, copy, cut/paste or duplicate these lyrics you must obtain permission from Hope Publishing Company (800-323-1049).
5 comments:
That was an Awesome hymn,
and I like the jello map that was cool to
take care
WOW! That is so beautiful. What is the name of the song? I like the dancing horses, too.
Thats "Lord of the Dance".
If you would like to hear the tune which goes with these lyrics, please visit http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/r/lordoftd.htm (I found their version of the tune to be a bit draggy for such an upbeat song.)
Its an old Shaker tune that Sydney Carter adapted back in '63. Its really popular done with fiddles and accordions in a Celtic style.
This week has been a bit difficult. But this blog seems to help. Thanks for visiting Jel, and of course, Jennifer, always a pleasure to have you drop in.
Sydney Carter (the author of this song) wrote...
"I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus.
Whether Jesus ever leaped in Galilee to the rhythm of a pipe or drum I do not know. We are told that David danced (and as an act of worship too), so it is not impossible. The fact that many Christians have regarded dancing as a bit ungodly (in a church, at any rate) does not mean that Jesus did.
The Shakers didn't. This sect flourished in the United States in the nineteenth century, but the first Shakers came from Manchester in England, where they were sometimes called the "Shaking Quakers". They hived off to America in 1774, under the leadership of Mother Anne. They established celibate communities - men at one end, women at the other; though they met for work and worship. Dancing, for them, was a spiritual activity. They also made furniture of a functional, lyrical simplicity. Even the cloaks and bonnets that the women wore were distinctly stylish, in a sober and forbidding way.
Their hymns were odd, but sometimes of great beauty: from one of these (Simple Gifts) I adapted this melody. I could have written another for the words of 'Lord of the Dance' (some people have), but this was so appropriate that it seemed a waste of time to do so. Also, I wanted to salute the Shakers.
Sometimes, for a change I sing the whole song in the present tense. 'I dance in the morning when the world is begun...'. It's worth a try".
From Green Print for Song, Stainer & Bell (1974)
and Lord of the Dance and other Songs and Poems, Stainer & Bell (2002)
This is the official authorized version, (which I actually went to the trouble to get a licence to put this up on my blog!!
I danced in the morning
When the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon
And the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven
And I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem
I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he
I danced for the scribe
And the pharisee,
But they would not dance
And they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen,
For James and John -
They came with me
And the Dance went on.
Chorus
I danced on the Sabbath
And I cured the lame;
The holy people
Said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped
And they hung me on high,
And they left me there
On a Cross to die.
Chorus
I danced on a Friday
When the sky turned black -
It's hard to dance
With the devil on your back.
They buried my body
And they thought I'd gone,
But I am the Dance,
And I still go on.
Chorus
They cut me down
And I leapt up high;
I am the life
That'll never, never die;
I'll live in you
If you'll live in me -
I am the Lord
Of the Dance, said he.
Chorus
Copyright 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd. London, England
The dancing horses....well, seemed appropriate.
That Lord of the Dance?! I know the tune well, but i never heard the words. Didn't even know there were words. Thanks!
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