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Lord of the Dance (hymn)
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Wikipedia article
"'Lord of the Dance'" is a hymn written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. The melody is from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts". The hymn is widely performed in English-speaking congregations and assemblies.
The song follows the idea of the traditional English carol "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day", which tells the gospel story in the first-person voice of Jesus of Nazareth with the device of portraying Jesus' life and mission as a dance.
Author's perspective
In writing the lyrics to "Lord of the Dance", Carter was inspired partly by Jesus, but also by a statue of the Hindu deity Shiva as Nataraja (Shiva's dancing pose) which sat on his desk. 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."
Carter wrote:
Reception
Verse 3 of the hymn, which includes the line that "[t]he Holy People said it was a shame", has been analyzed as implying collective Jewish responsibility for the death of Jesus, and therefore conflicting with Catholic doctrine. However, Sydney Carter also criticised holier-than-thou religious attitudes through his other work, including song lyrics such as "The Vicar is a Beatnik" about social conservatives in the Church of England.
Notable recordings
* Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, on the album 'But Two Came By' (1968)
* The McCalmans, on the album 'Singers Three' (1969)
* The Corries, on the live album 'The Corries In Concert' (1969)
* Donovan, on the album 'HMS Donovan' (1971)
* The Dubliners, on the album 'Now' (1975)
* Champions of Europe, "Stand Free", on the album 'Gothenburg' (1983)
* The Bach Choir, on the album 'Family Carols' (1991)
* Charlie Zahm, on his album 'The Celtic Balladeer' (1999)
* Blackmore's Night, on the album 'Winter Carols' (2007)
* Salisbury Cathedral Choir, on the album 'Great Hymns from Salisbury' (2013)
* New World, on "B" side of the single "Kara Kara" (1971)
References
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