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Lord Of The Dance

from No Strings by No Strings

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Lyric + music by Sidney Carter (1963)

lyrics

I danced in the morning when the world was young
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Dance dance, 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 scribes & the pharisees
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for the fishermen, James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on:

Dance dance, 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 on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people they said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!

Dance dance, 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 on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I'd gone
But I am the Dance & the dance goes on!

Dance dance, 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!

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!

Dance dance, 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!



A hymn based on the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts", this was written by English lawyer and songwriter Sidney Carter in 1963. Early Christians danced in their churches as joyous expressions of their spirituality and Carter wanted to extend that aspect of Christianity in this song. He was somewhat doubtful that more rigid Christian sects might not take to dance as religious activity and likely they did not. But many more Christians did than he anticipated. He had a fondness for the American Shakers and felt that their tune stated very well what he wanted to convey. It's come to be known as an Irish hymn simply because the Irish have done such an inspired job of interpreting it, in the persons of The Chieftains, The Dubliners, among others.

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from No Strings, released August 22, 2014

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No Strings

No Strings is a Mother/Son duo recording a wide variety of original songs, jazz standards, rock/pop/country/folk songs + spoken word presentations.

Upcoming ME-related Shows:
3/28...Oakmont (2 shows)
3/29...Harvest
3/31...Sierra Vista
4/2...Compass Pointe
4/3...Oasis
4/4...ArtPorch 24 (w/ Chelsea Jones)
4/5...Vineyard Reedley
4/6...The Vineyards
4/8...Gateway

matthewembry.bandcamp.com
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