As 14 April, 2017 comes to light after a peaceful Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday in Singapore, I was thinking of the lyrics of a song that could be suitable for the rather sombre and quiet period this Good Friday, a day when Jesus died, was buried and rose again on Easter Sunday.
Sung originally as a Christmas Carol, it was made famous by Cat Stevens in 1972 and came from a hymn, first published at the beginning of the 1930's. The lyrics were by children's writer, Eleanor Farjeon using an original melody of a Scottish tune, written in Gaelic by Mary McDonald.
Neil Diamond: Morning Has Broken: Video by jasonfreakinbang
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the word
It was translated into English, with a lilt so lovely that the number went to the top of the hit parade in 1972. The piano arrangement was done by rock group member from Yes: Rick Wakeman.
Judy Collins, Floyd Cramer, Neil Diamond, Art Garfunkel, Nana Mouskouri, Aaron Neville, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, Sister Janet Mead, Roger Whittaker and a host of choirs have recorded covers of this beautiful song.
Looking at it positively, I find the freshness in the lyrics as we praise for the morning:
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dew fall, on the first grassPraise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass...
When Good Friday morning is broken, I remember it as such, a Good Friday.
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of a new day.
Have a great Easter everyone.
Any comment?
Image: Google.
You Tube Video: Neil Diamond: Morning Has Broken by jasonfreakinbang
4 comments:
Our Reverend Andy...hmmm !
Hey Andy, I marvel at the pace you are going in updating this blog and keeping topics current. Also notice the large number of followers too. This should encourage you to stay at it. Music does soothe the soul. Here's wishing you and the family and your readers a Blessed Easter. With all that's going around the world, it's good to know that
'Because He lives, I can face tomorrow . Because He lives, all fears are gone.
Because I know, I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.'
Thank you Andy. Best wishes to you and your family for a Happy and Peaceful Easter.
dying is symbolic, like so many interpretations of the Holy Book, of all religions.. Bible ( Old and New Testament), Qur'an, Bhagavad gita,etc... as always each must take it to their own in good faith. to me, joy comes in the morning signifies hope. the other interpretation is that we die nightly to wake up to a new birth. the latter helps to teach us that worry is an absolute waste of your life, as my mother used to say, life is like your fingers , nothing is ever consistent... if it's not good today, wait a little while, like the weather the sun comes back.
finally, we die to live a rebirth, much in the same way, i go through phases in my life.. with each "new hat" i put on, success cannot follow unless i am able to forget and the older hat i just put aside. thus, until you are born again, you cannot be saved... eg. Keith Emerson (Nice, ELP), was once asked which song or album he wrote is the best , to which he answered, "the next one !!!" . this to me is the necessity of being born again. And Good Friday and Easter Monday remind us just that. Peace everyone !
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