Lyrics
Lilies and Simple Gifts: Simple Gifts
Possibly the most famous of Shaker tunes, this arrangement begins with a first verse sung a cappella, the voice ending precisely on pitch where the piano joins in, modulates to a higher key, and proceeds with a dancing accompaniment to the end. Happy!
1848 Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett; arranged by Saul Schechtman
There are a number of text versions extant, some with only slight variations.
Traditional text:
Traditional text:
’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 out right.