{"id":2514,"date":"2012-12-22T17:08:04","date_gmt":"2012-12-23T01:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielharper.org\/yauu\/?p=2514"},"modified":"2023-07-24T15:18:33","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T19:18:33","slug":"best-new-song-of-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/2012\/12\/best-new-song-of-the-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Best new song of the season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

OK, this song came out on Jennifer Cutting’s 2011 album “Song of Solstice,” so it’s not exactly new. But it’s new to me this year, and I think it’s the best new Yuletide song I’ve heard in a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song is called “Light the Winter’s Dark,” and below you can find my take on the lyrics, from the singing of Coope, Boyes, and Simpson, the English a capella trio who usually sing traditional tunes. Yeah, the lyrics are a little preachy, but most sacred song is a little preachy. I can’t find the song on Youtube, but you can hear a brief preview of the tune on the CD Universe Web site here<\/a>; or there’s a longer preview at the iTunes store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the choir in your Unitarian Universalist congregation to sing this song next year…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Light the Winter’s Dark
by Jennifer Cutting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(These lyrics are my interpretation, and are offered as a preview of the song. Be nice and support the artist by buying the album or song.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus brought his light to earth,
A star shone in the east;
And wise men journeyed from afar,
To hail the prince of peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrain:
So let us all sing Jesus’s name
To light the winter’s dark;
And may his light grow brighter still
With each new year we mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Moses brought his light to earth,
His tribe from bondage led;
In desert, water from the rock,
In wilderness, sweet bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrain: So let us all sing Moses’ name…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Prophet brought his light to earth,
He reconciled his foes;
When four clans raised the black stone high
Upon his holy cloak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrain: So let us sing the Prophet’s name…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Buddha brought his light to earth,
He saw beyond love and hate;
He said, “To end all suffering,
Each mind must be awake.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrain: So let us all sing Buddha’s name…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Lady brought her light to earth,
She took us to her breast;
Each fin and feather, hoof and horn
By her were brightly blessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrain: So let us sing the Lady’s name…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we all brought our light to earth,
We made it a better place;
We loved and lost, yet loved again,
And learned from our mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refrain: So let us sing each other’s names
To light the winter’s dark;
And may our light grow brighter still
With each new year we mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here are possible guitar chords in D Dorian (which is the key used in the recording):<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Screen<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Update, 2023:<\/strong> This song does not wear well. The melody is boring. I was tired of it the next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OK, this song came out on Jennifer Cutting’s 2011 album “Song of Solstice,” so it’s not exactly new. But it’s new to me this year, and I think it’s the best new Yuletide song I’ve heard in a few years. The song is called “Light the Winter’s Dark,” and below you can find my take … Continue reading “Best new song of the season”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[144],"class_list":["post-2514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musical-arts","tag-christmas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10641,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions\/10641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/yauu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}