‘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,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed
To turn, turn, will be our delight,
‘Til by turning, turning, we come round right.
I remember this song. When I was in a children’s choir at around age 9 this was our signature song to compete with. Thanks for the memories.
‘Tis a curse to be complex,
‘Tis a curse to think too deep,
‘Tis a curse to day dream and at night not fall asleep,
And when we find our self in a state of unrest,
It will serve to remind us that simple gifts are best.
When true complexity is gained,
To bow and to bend?, that would cause to much pain,
To think, think, will confirm what life’s about,
‘Til by thinking, thinking we figure it out.
(everyone join in on the chorus!)
What a delightful song, Judy. It just rolls off the tongue.
I think that’s a Quaker song. I have a book of them at home entitled Gift to be Simple.
Not Quaker, but Shaker, which is a little different as I understand. They adhered to celibacy for whatever reason, so their aren’t many still around.
Shaker hardly seems a fit moniker for the celibate 🙂
– come to think of it, neither does quaker.