Simple Gifts

I heard this song on a lullaby CD while I was pregnant with my daughter and I really loved it. Come to find out, it is an old Shaker hymn. My husband and I have been attending a Quaker (where Shakers have their roots) meeting for the last year and message of simplicity is a frequent one.

Simple Gifts

by Elder Joseph Brackett

'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.