How Can I Keep From Singing?
TsalagiEye
words to. I love the words, but I've never heard the song! Is there anyplace
y'all know of that I can get some kind of recording of that?
Thanks!!!!
Jeff Price
TsalagiEye wrote in message
<19990202184157...@ng-fb1.aol.com>...
Ron Natalie
>
> Hi! That's a folk song (how can I keep from singing?) someone just gave me the
> words to. I love the words, but I've never heard the song! Is there anyplace
> y'all know of that I can get some kind of recording of that?
> Thanks!!!!
This is from memory, so pardon me if I get it wrong.
My life goes on in endless song,
above earth's lamentations.
I hear the real though far off hymn,
that hails a new creation.
Above the turmult and the strife
I hear the music ringing
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing.
Though the tempest loudly roars
I know the truth, it liveth
And though the darkness round me grows
Songs in the night, it giveth
No one can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging
For love is lord over heaven and earth
how can I keep from singing.
When tyrants tremble, sick with fear
and Hear their death knells ringing,
When friend rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing.
In prison cells or dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging
When friends by shame are undefiled,
How can I keep from singing.
I've got it in a hymnal at home if you need better.
The only recording I believe I have of it is
a tape of a Clam Chowder concert from years ago.
Joseph Kesselman, yclept Keshlam
(_I Can See a New Day_ and _Precious Friend_),
Bok/Muir/Trickett (_Turning Toward the Morning_
and _Simple Gifts for the Dulcimer_) or McCutcheon
(_How Can I Keep From Singing_ -- yes, album shares
its name with the song). There have been many other
good recordings of it; these are just the ones
current when RUS was edited.
Standard plug for Rise Up Singing. 1200 songs for
under $20; if you're reading this newsgroup, you
probably want a copy. Published by the good folks
at Sing Out!, who do have a website though I don't
remember the URL offhand. It's not the authoritative
reference on any one song, its chord notation
is a bit erratic, and it doesn't give you the tunes
(though there's a set of "teaching tapes" available
which attempts to deliver those in affordable form)
... but it's a heck of a lot more portable than
The Digital Tradition.
------------------------------------------------------
Joe Kesselman, http://www.lovesong.com/people/keshlam/
February 13th at Walkabout Clearwater: TOM PAXTON.
http://www.lovesong.com/walkabout/coffeehouse.html
Bass
John McCutcheon's record on June Appal (I think still available on
cassette) called, you guessed it How Can I Keep From Singing
Pete Seeger's album on Folkways called something like Songs for Friends
and Foes (I think available on Folkways as a cassette)
The greatest hits collection on Foll Legacy of Bok, Muir, and Trickett
(Volume I), available on CD
Great song, I agree.....
Good luck, and if the above info is not helpful, please e-mail me off
the newsgroup so I can work out a way of getting the melody to you.
Gary Bass
> Work like you don't need money,
> Love like you've never been hurt,
> And dance like no one's watching
JesiAna
(appropriately) "Pete." Very much available anyplace you can purchase folk CDs.
Jesiana
"If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing."
Bass
album, but after further looking at my old album (authentic mildew and
all), alas, it is not listed on that. However, according to Rise Up
Singing it can be found on the following album, which I snipped from the
elderly instruments catalog ( http://www.wlderly.com ) :
Seeger & Arlo Guthrie, Pete
PRECIOUS FRIEND
2 cassettes or 2 CDs
CD...WARN-CD3644
Gary Bass
Bass
http://www.elderly.com BTW, this by no means means that I am endorsing
this company, am connected with this company, etc. etc.....:)
Brett Weiss
also available as a lovely a cappella version on his "Water From Another
Time" CD. You can order it on his website at http://www.folkmusic.com
--
Brett
TsalagiEye <tsala...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990202184157...@ng-fb1.aol.com...
kgold
> Hi! That's a folk song (how can I keep from singing?) someone just
> gave me the words to. I love the words, but I've never heard the
> song! Is there anyplace y'all know of that I can get some kind of
> recording of that? Thanks!!!!
If you liked the song, you'll love the book - this biography of Pete
Seeger covers his life, the folk revival, and much of 20th century
American history - the depression, the union movement, WWII,
McCarthyism, civil rights, anti-Vietnam war protests, and the
environmental movement.
--
Ken Goldman kg...@watson.ibm.com 914-784-7646
TsalagiEye
TsalagiEye
>the newsgroup so I can work out a way of getting the melody to you.
>
>Gary Bass
Thanks!!!!
CHERYLMHVA
song. It's in the Presbyterian church hymnbooks I believe. Nice song! Hope
that helps!
Peace & have a nice day! Cheryl Harrell
Personal Quote: "Cheryl, huh?" By: My folksinger friend ADG
"Support Finding A Cure For Diabetes". By: ME
JDalin
>From: tsala...@aol.com (TsalagiEye)
>Date: 2/2/99 6:41 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <19990202184157...@ng-fb1.aol.com>
>
>Hi! That's a folk song (how can I keep from singing?) someone just gave me
>the
>words to. I love the words, but I've never heard the song! Is there anyplace
>y'all know of that I can get some kind of recording of that?
>Thanks!!!!
>
It's on Harvey Reid's 2-CD set entitled "In Person." It's a great set,
available from him at www.woodpecker.com or from Elderly or Andy's Front Hall.
Regards,
Jim Dalin
Mephistophilis
>Date: 2 Feb 1999 23:41:57 GMT
>>Hi! That's a folk song (how can I keep from singing?) someone just gave me the
>words to. I love the words, but I've never heard the song! Is there anyplace
>y'all know of that I can get some kind of recording of that?
>Thanks!!!!
There's also a quite good version on one of Enya's CDs - the last one, I
think.
Amy DiNolo
CHERYLMHVA wrote...
>. Believe it's an old gospel song. It's in the Presbyterian church
hymnbooks I believe
Actually, it's a Shaker hymn....we sing it at my Catholic church too,
although unfortunately, the version we do is heavily abridged and edited
(still a lovely song though). I prefer the Pete Seeger and Enya versions.
Good luck!
Amy
CHERYLMHVA
Seeger singing it. He does a great job! Thanks for the info! Peace to all!
Amy DiNolo
in the first half of the nineteenth century. As far as I know, this is the
only really well-known hymn of theirs. As for the Shakers themselves, I
don't even know if there are any left. One of the tenets of the religion was
celibacy, so without a lot of conversion of pregnant women, there would be
no little Shaker babies born :)
John Tubbs
>
> Actually, it's a Shaker hymn.>>
>
A hymn sung by Shakers.
John
John Tubbs
TsalagiEye
I'm sorry, but what is a ''Shaker hymn''? :-) Thanks!
Walk in balance,
Lindsey
Hojo2X
being a "Shaker" hymn, my understanding is that it's of Quaker origin.
So the unchurched among you may be thinking: "Quaker, Shaker, Baker, Schmaker -
who cares?"
Well, actually, there are several crucial differences between the Shakers and
the Quakers (or Society of Friends, to use their proper name.)
The Shakers were a reclusive, utopian sect (some might even deem them a cult)
that did, indeed, practice celibacy, and basically locked themselves away from
the world. They were founded in the USA during the Great Awakening of the
1820s, if memory serves. They still exist, in vastly truncated form, but
they've never been deemed a threat to any established government.
The Quakers, on the other hand, were a direct threat to the established order,
taking their hats off to no man but only to God, and advocating non-violence
and individual responsibility. Imprisonments and sometimes capital punishment
were often the response they received for their efforts.
The political activism of the Society of Friends continues to this day.
So if you look at the lyrics of "How Can I Keep From Singing?" - at their high
literary quality and references to prisons and tyrants, and then compare them
to the deliberate, studied simplicity and "Holy Ecstasy" -seeking typical of
Shaker songs (think of the words to "Gift To Be Simple") I think it's pretty
obvious which tradition they came from.
Wade Hampton Miller
TsalagiEye
just isolated? LOL :-)
TsalagiEye
Sorry...I meant to say, what is a Shaker? LOL
TsalagiEye
Walk in balance,
Lindsey
Bass
IMHO, best sung acapulco "-) , with no instrument at all.....
Gary Bass
"Warning! It has been determined that folk music is a stimulant. Please
use responsibly........."
ghost
>The Shakers were a religious sect that was strongest, if I recall correctly,
>in the first half of the nineteenth century. As far as I know, this is the
>only really well-known hymn of theirs. As for the Shakers themselves, I
>don't even know if there are any left. One of the tenets of the religion was
>celibacy, so without a lot of conversion of pregnant women, there would be
>no little Shaker babies born :)
I'd hate to burst your bubble here, but from what I've learned from
documentaries on them as well as from the liner notes to the Rounder recording
of the last orginal Shakers singing their songs, the Shakers got most of
their adult community from conversions (they did a lot of prosyletizing)
& most of their children from adoption of children from orphanages.
Some of the orphans stayed Shakers upon reaching their majority; some chose
to leave the only community they'd ever known rather than observe the tenet
of celibacy & of seperate lives (except for religious meetings) for men &
women. Often the ones who left were ones who'd met someone in the community
they wished to marry, so they didn't have to go out into the world alone.
If you can convince the few remaining Shakers, most or all of whom are
later-life converts, not people raised as Shakers, that you want to be a
Shaker, you get to live on some prime property in Maine, live off the
large income from several still-valid patents, & take care of the other
community members as they age. The only hitch is that you have to practise
*all* the tenets of the religion, just like in the old days. Or to put
it another way, you can't break a prime tenet & expect to be taken
seriously. There are a lot of collateral descendants (descendants of
sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins & so forth of the original
Shakers) who would just love to take over those patents & the property.
There's been at least one court case already & as soon as this crop
of Shakers dies off there'll be more.
CHERYLMHVA
KY. We went there once & it was very nice! I filmed some video of the trip &
it was interesting. We ate at the restuarant there too! Very educational &
interesting! Peace to all!
Peace & have a nice day! Cheryl Harrell
Personal Quote: "Cheryl, huh?" By: My folksinger friend ADG
"Support Finding A Cure For Diabetes". By: ME
sionnach
John Tubbs wrote in message <36BB9D86...@mbay.net>...
>Amy DiNolo wrote:
>>
>> The Shakers were a religious sect that was strongest, if I recall
correctly,
>> in the first half of the nineteenth century. As far as I know, this is
the
>> only really well-known hymn of theirs. As for the Shakers themselves, I
>> don't even know if there are any left. One of the tenets of the religion
was
>> celibacy, so without a lot of conversion of pregnant women, there would
be
>> no little Shaker babies born :)
Last I heard (which was in a Smithsonian article about three years ago),
there were five or six Shakers left, all quite elderly.
>
William T. Yates
Jr, bagpipe, Mike Phelan, Dan Wheetman, & Ed harmony) on their great
"Marley's Ghost Gospel: How Can I Keep From Singing" album (Sage Arts
0204). They credit the lyrics to Anne Warner (1864) and verse 3 to Doris
Plenn (early 1950s) and the music to Rev. R. Lowry, published by Sanga
Music. I have made corrections to the lyrics below. All the lyrics to
Marley's Ghost albums and CD order info is available at their web site at
http://www.cyberbites.com.
In article <36B7A35A...@sensor.com>, Ron Natalie <r...@sensor.com> wrote:
> TsalagiEye wrote:
> >
> > Hi! That's a folk song (how can I keep from singing?) someone just
gave me the
> > words to. I love the words, but I've never heard the song! Is there
anyplace
> > y'all know of that I can get some kind of recording of that?
> > Thanks!!!!
>
> This is from memory, so pardon me if I get it wrong.
>
Verse 1:
> My life goes on in endless song,
> Above earth's lamentations.
> I hear the real though far-off hymn,
> That hails a new creation.
> Above the tumult and the strife
> I hear that music ringing.
> It sounds an echo in my soul,
> How can I keep from singing?
>
Verse 2:
> And though the tempest loudly roars,
> I know the truth, it liveth.
> And though the darkness round me grows,
> Songs in the night, it giveth.
> No storm can shake my inmost calm
> While to that rock I'm clinging;
> For love is lord in heaven and earth
> How can I keep from singing?
>
Verse 3:
> When tyrants tremble, sick with fear
> And hear their death knells ringing,
> When friends rejoice both far and near,
> How can I keep from singing?
> In prison cells or dungeon vile,
> Our thoughts to them are winging.
> When friends by shame are undefiled,
> How can I keep from singing?
>
<snip>
--
--Bill Yates
--wty...@aol.com or wty...@vcnet.com
--http://www.vcnet.com/wtyates/
--Moderator, Writer's Club on AOL Christian Writer's Workshop
--Editor, WorldVillage.com's Believer's Weekly
--Folk Music in Ojai: http://www.vcnet.com/wtyates/ojaifolk.html
--Rincon Ramblers: http://www.vcnet.com/wtyates/ramblers.html
Amy DiNolo
as I could...I don't have any emotional investment in any of this. for the
record, I also happen to think that there's a strong probability that this
song is more closely related to the Quakers (with regards to the political
verses).
bswe...@hamilton.edu
wty...@vcnet.com (William T. Yates) wrote:
> Marley's Ghost does a nice job with this (Jon Wilcox solo, Ed Littlefield,
> Jr, bagpipe, Mike Phelan, Dan Wheetman, & Ed harmony) on their great
> "Marley's Ghost Gospel: How Can I Keep From Singing" album (Sage Arts
> 0204). They credit the lyrics to Anne Warner (1864) and verse 3 to Doris
> Plenn (early 1950s) and the music to Rev. R. Lowry, published by Sanga
> Music. I have made corrections to the lyrics below.
I found the lyrics in 2 19th century books, one with Lowry's tune & another
with music by Ira Sankey. Sankey's version said the words were Anon. The
Lowry tune is in a hymnal for the Evangelical Church in 1897 & gives
copyright permissions as being from Biglow & Main. The reference to Anne
Warner sent me back to an old e-mail I still have from another group. The
Quaker attribution (in someone elses message) is apparently an error made by
Pete Seeger. Quakers don't sing in their meetings and being pacifist
rejoicing at the death of tyrants seems very out of character.
The Lowry music is from 1869. The more religious words can be found at the
Cyber Hymnal. I'm not surprised at the 1864 date, I was going to guess it was
from late in the Civil War given the references to tumult & strife, seeing
light through the clouds, etc. I also thought the 3rd verse I've heard in
folk circles sounds really 20th century activist. Also note that Christ is
the theme in v. 2 rather than truth and love.
I also found it referred to as a "Modern Favorite" in
Phillips, Philip. Hallowed songs ... designed for prayer-meetings, young men's
Christian associations Sunday-schools, religious meetings, family worship,
praise meetings, etc. Hitchcock and Walden, 1874.
http://moa.umdl.umich.edu/cgi-bin/moa/sgml/moa-idx?notisid=AJG1413
(reference is p. iii, image of hymn on p. 4)
Here are the words from Cyber Hymnal
http://tch.simplenet.com/htm/howcanik.htm
My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul--
How can I keep from singing?
What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?
I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His--
How can I keep from singing?
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