Lord of the Dance (Sydney Carter)

"The Lord of the Dance" is a well known hymn by Sydney Carter, telling the story of Jesus.

The Lord of the Dance
RELATED TOPICS	Sydney Carter
SERMONS, ESSAYS AND OPINIONS
CONTENTS

Words

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth
At Bethlehem I had had my birth

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance said he
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance said he

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 John
They came with me and the dance went on

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance said he
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance said he

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me high
And they left me there on the cross to die

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance said he
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance said he

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

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance said he
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance said he

They cut me down and I leap up high
I am the life that'll never, never die
I'll live in you, if you live in me
I am the Lord of the dance said he
 
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the dance said he
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance said he

Contents

Quotes

Sydney Carter about his song Lord of the Dance:

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... Anyway, it's the sort of Christianity I believe in... I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus... Whether Jesus ever leaped in Galilee to the rhythm of a pipe or drum I do not know. We are told that David danced (and as an act of worship too), so it is not impossible. The fact that many Christians have regarded dancing as a bit ungodly (in a church, at any rate) does not mean that Jesus did.

Links

• A free MP3 download of the hymn for use in Worship from hymnswithoutwords.com

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