Lord of the Dance
Shaker melody
1. I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem I had my birth.
Refrain
“Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance,” said he.
“I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
I will lead you all in the Dance,” said he.
2. I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
But they would not dance and they wouldn’t follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and for John;
They came with me and the dance went on.
3. I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame,
The holy people, they 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.
4. 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 and they thought I’d gone,
But I am the dance and I still go on.
5. 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.
Text: Sydney B. Carter, 1915–2004, alt. Music adapt. by Sydney B. Carter. Text and music © 1963, Stainer & Bell, Ltd., London, England. All rights reserved. Administered by Hope Publishing Co. Used with permission.