Simple Gifts

1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett

Source: Wikipedia

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According to Wikipedia this song is a traditional Shaker song written by Elder Joseph Brackett in 1848 and was a dance song. Wikipedia points out the "turning" in the song as an indicator that this is a dance song. When I first learned this song in the late 60's I thought of it as a call to lead a simple life and that this would lead to a freedom, that this view of life was a "gift" and that we would be then in a place just right in our lives equal to a valley of love and delight.

In the second section I looked at this as saying that we should not be ashamed to turn our life toward a simpler life. Because I was a bit of a "hippie" in the mid 70's, but even then a bit of a nerd I tended to like that view of life.At one point in my life I did live in a coffee-house in Tampa, Florida (Tranquilo). This coffee house no longer exists.

I played guitar on a small stage at the place and later lived in a back room loft apartment. My life was not as simple as many others around the place, but it was a good environment to open more outward toward the world. There are many experiences that could be described about this part of my life. People that know me today find it a bit hard to imagine I lived in such an environment. I had little "Ben Franklin" style glasses at the time.I played finger style guitar already by that time and this was a good place to present this type of music.

There was another well known coffee-house located in St. Petersburg Florida. It was a place that I would go to and play at also. It was called "Beau Arts", it is gone now.Simple Gifts was a song that I used to sing to my twins when they would not sleep late at night. I would pick them both up, sit on the couch and sing them to sleep. With only two versus, it probably helped put them to sleep. The twins were a "simple gift" in my life.The actual notes can be found through the internet.It is a bit tricky to finger pick the melody on this song so I usually just play it with an alternating bass- chord pattern.Simple Gifts - Traditional Shaker

Traditional Shaker Song

1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett

Simple Gifts

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C

Tis the gift to be simpletis the gift to be free

.........G7

Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be

.....C

And when we find ourselves in the place just right

.....G7.................................C....G7...C

It will be in the valley of love and delight

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C

When true simplicity is gain'd

....G7

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd

....C

To turn, turn will be our delight

.........G7..................................C........G7.....C

Till by turning, turning we come round right

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