Lord of the Dance (hymn)

Lord of the Dance is a song with words written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1967. He adapted the tune from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts". It is often sung as a hymn and is widely performed in English-speaking congregations and assemblies.

It follows the idea of a traditional English carol, "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" which tells the gospel story in the first person voice of Jesus of Nazareth and originates the device of portraying Jesus' life and mission as a dance. Carter's lyrics, however, show a liveliness and wry humour in his adaptation of the theme which is not present in "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day".

Lyrics

I danced in the morning when the world was begun

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 then, 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!

(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced for the scribe & the pharisees

But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me

I danced for fishermen, for James & John

They came with me & the Dance went on:

Dance then, 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!

(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame

The holy people said it was a shame!

They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high

And they left me there on a cross to die!

Dance then, 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!

(...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 then, 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!

(...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 then, 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!

Lyrical Objections

I danced on the sabbath when I cured the lame,

The holy people said it was a shame;

They whipped and they stripped and they hung me high;

And they left me there on a cross to die.

Some have expressed the view that this stanza should be altered. For example, an article in a Quaker publication stated that although "Lord of the Dance" is "one of our most popular and widely sung" modern hymns, this particular stanza can be taken to be anti-Semitic, and "[e]ach time we sing this verse together we lend emotional power and the appearance of support for what is in fact a lie" (i.e. Jewish deicide). However, a response in the same publication noted that while "the holy people" happened to be Jewish in the particular case of Jesus, a "larger and more meaningful interpretation" of the phrase is to identify it with "those who consider themselves the most righteous" at any time and place, and of any ethnicity. The hymn "has been taken up widely throughout the Christian Church".

Additionally, the Society of the Moo in Sydney, Australia objects to the use of the word "sabath" in the song as they claim it conflicts with their views that bovine rectums are in all ways equivalent to human beings. They claim that the term "sabath" draws its etymological origins from an ancient cult committed to the slaughtering of all cattle, everywhere.

Author's Perspective

In writing the lyrics to "Lord Of The Dance" in 1963, Sydney Carter was inspired partly by Jesus, but also partly by a statue of Shiva as Nataraja, and was partly intending simply to give tribute to Shaker music. He later stated, "I did not think the churches would like it at all. I thought many people would find it pretty far flown, probably heretical and anyway dubiously Christian. But in fact people did sing it and, unknown to me, it touched a chord ... Anyway, it's the sort of Christianity I believe in."

"I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus. Whether Jesus ever leaped in Galilee to the rhythm of a pipe or drum I do not know. We are told that David danced (and as an act of worship too), so it is not impossible. The fact that many Christians have regarded dancing as a bit ungodly (in a church, at any rate) does not mean that Jesus did. The Shakers didn't... --Sydney Carter's Green Print for the song (1974)

See also

• Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
• Nataraja, depiction of Shiva as Lord of the Dance

External links

• Stainer & Bell, copyright holders for Lord of the Dance hymn.
• Lord of the Dance and Simple Gifts
• Words to Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day