Simple Gifts

Thomas Swain of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is due to appear on the BBC Radio 4 programme Soul Music on Tuesday 8th day of 3rd month at 1:30pm. It will be repeated on Saturday 12th day of 3rd month. It will be available for 7 days afterwards on BBC iplayer.

Thomas was interviewed for the programme in 9th month 2010 about  the Shaker song, “Simple Gifts”. It is an 1848 song by elder Joseph Brackett.

The song lyrics are:

‘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 round right.

 

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