Archive for December 2010
My favorite section of the New York Times on Sunday is the Book Review.
NY Times Book Review Illustration by Tina Berning, Dec. 2010
This past Sunday, the cover story went to an article (written by one of my heroes, Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor) about the publication of Mark Twain’s Autobiography. Mr. Keillor points out that Mr. Twain has a comment or two about people he meets, including Robert Louis Stevenson.
Because so many of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poems from “A Child’s Garden of Verses” have been set to music, I have come to learn a few things about him, have seen many portraits and photographs made of his likeness, and have become quite smitten with him.
It would seem that Mark Twain, very luck to have met Mr. Stevenson (and visa-versa), was taken with the author-poet as well, saying,
“His splendid eyes…burned with a smoldering rich fire under the penthouse of his brows, and they made him beautiful.”
Portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson by G. P. Nerli, 1892
Oh, it makes me just melt.
It makes me want to sing a song…one of my favorites…
The Swing
By Robert Louis Stevenson
From “A Child’s Garden of Verses“
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
You can find an excellent waltz tune for singing this poem, sung “The Cedarmont Kids,” here:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Swing/dp/B0013AJ4JE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293737796&sr=8-2
(Track 16 of Disk 3)
Link to my post about The Swing and E.B. White’s barn swing in Charlotte’s Web:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/swinging-with-e-b-w-and-r-l-s/
Link to my post about A Child’s Garden of Verses:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/a-childs-garden-of-verses-singable-poems-by-robert-louis-stevenson/
Link to Garrison Keillor’s article about Mark Twain’s Autobiography:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/books/review/Keillor-t.html
A Song in Your Heart
Posted on: December 30, 2010
A dear friend of mine sent a lovely holiday card that is perfect for friends of Singable Picture Books!
May the spirit of the season put a Song in your heart!
Thank you Terri!
Happy New Year!
Kennedy Center ArtsEdge: Set a Poem to Music: Creating Singable Songs from Poetry in Print
Posted on: December 29, 2010
I found a lovely class instruction manual for educators on the Kennedy Center’s ArtsEdge website that incorporates the use of Singable Picture Books. Surprised to have NOT seen this before, I have no idea when this class manual was written, but it is a delight to find it.
They use “Sunshine On My Shoulders” as the example Singable Picture Book throughout the lesson!
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Sunshine on My Shoulders
Words and Music by John Denver
Illustrated by Christopher Canyon
“Sunshine On My Shoulders” is a terrific choice because children immediately take to the beauty of the melody and the love written into the words.
The manual offers a link to a “Song Lyric Picture Book” Listmania listing on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Song-Lyric-Picture-Books/lm/R2CX1YIPC9EJIG/ref=cm_lmt_DYNA_f_1_russss0?pf_rd_p=496997231&pf_rd_s=listmania-center&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=158469050X&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1W9JJYQCEYDKH9Q2Z8ET
This list has 35 Singable Picture Books in it. “Not for nothing” but they might like to refer to the Sing Books with Emily Singable Bookshelves for a thousand or so additional titles! :-)
Links to the Sing Books with Emily Singable Bookshelves:
Titles A-E: http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/bookshelf-2-a-m/
Titles F-J: http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/bookshelf-2-f-j/
Titles K-O: http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/bookshelf-2-k-o/
Titles P-S: http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/bookshelf-2-n-z/
Titles T-Z: http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/bookshelf-2-u-z/
The terrific class is called:
“Set a Poem to Music: Creating Singable Songs from Poetry in Print“
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-6-8/Set_a_Poem_to_Music.aspx
The focus of the class is to teach children that songs are poetry and that poetry can be set to music, eventually leading to the children select a poem and set it to their own original composition, allowing for the opportunity to also illustrate a few lines of the poem. The instruction manual offers lesson plan, assignment standards, an assignment check list for students and an assessment rubric for teachers to use in assessing the quality of each child’s project.
Educators can even print all the materials for studying off-line. What a fabulous resource, community and educational resource. Bravo, Kennedy Center!
Kennedy Center ArtsEdge (K-12 arts education network) looks to be an amazing resource for parents and educators to explore and teach children every angle of the world of arts. Check it out for yourself:
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators.aspx
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Penelope Jane (A Fairy’s Tale)
Text, Words and Music by Rosanne Cash
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
This book’s text is a fairy tale in verse, but it features a song, “How to Be Strong,” with printed music and lyrics in the last pages.
You can hear Rosanne Cash sing her song on the CD:
“How to Be Strong” is on Track 12
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When Marian Sang
Words and Music by Various Artists
Text by Pam Munoz Ryan
Illustrated by Brian Selznick
This book is peppered throughout with songs that Marian Anderson sang throughout her wonderful life
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Climb Into My Lap (First Poems to Read Together)
Poems and Music by Various Artists
Illustrated by Kathryn Brown
The Twelve Days of Christmas is by far one of the most illustrated songs of them all! Seems like every illustrator alive wants to have a crack at it. The more the merrier! Renditions include,
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Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Bill Bolton
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Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Jan Brett
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Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Robert Broomfield
(“Twelve Days of Christmas,” Illustrated by Robert Broomfield, is featured in the Scholastic Video Collection)
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Hilary Knight
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Twelve Days of Christmas (Nedobeck’s)
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Don Nedobeck
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by John O’Brien
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Ilse Plume
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Twelve Days of Christmas (a Pop-Up Celebration)
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Robert Sabuda
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Gennady Spirin
(This book has sheet music in the back and two pages of historical information about the song)
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated by Brian Wildsmith
Plus, check almost any anthology of Christmas poems, stories and songs and you’ll find “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in there!
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Spin-offs and Adaptations
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The Eight Nights of Chanukkah
Traditional Words and Tune, Sing to the Tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas“
Words Adapted by Leslea Newman
Illustrated by Elivia Savadier
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A Firefly in a Fir Tree, a Carol for Mice
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Hilary Knight
Illustrated by Hilary Knight
(Sing to the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas”)
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On the First Night of Chanukah
Words by Cecily Kaiser
Illustrated by Brian Schatell
(Sing to the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas”)
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A Pinata in a Pine Tree (A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas)
Traditional tune (Twelve Days of Christmas)
Words by Pat Mora
Illustrated by Magaly Morales
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The Thirteen Days of Halloween
Traditional Words and Tune (sing to the tune of “The Thirteen Days of Christmas”)
Words Adapted by Carol Greene
Illustrated by Tim Raglin
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The Thirteen Days of Christmas
(Based on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas)
Traditional Words and Tune (sing to the tune of “The Thirteen Days of Christmas”)
Words Adapted by Steven Davison and Carolyn Gardner
Illustrated by Tim Wollweber and Sherri Lundberg
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The Thirteen Hours of Halloween
Traditional Words and Tune (sing to the tune of “The Thirteen Days of Christmas”)
Words Adapted by Dian Curtis Rega
Illustrated by Dian Curtis Regan
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The 13 Nights of Halloween
Traditional Tune (sing to the tune of Twelve Days of Christmas)
Words Adapted by Guy Vasilovich
Illustrated by Guy Vasilovich
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The 12 Bugs of Christmas (A Pop-Up Christmas Counting Book)
Traditional Tune (Sing to the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas“)
Illustrated by David A. Carter
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The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Pinata for the Pinon Tree
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Philemon Sturges
Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
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The Twelve Days of Christmas in Florida (Twelve Days of Christmas, State By State)
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Frank Remkiewicz
Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz
(One of these “Twelve Days of…” books has been created for every state and even some cities, including New York City!)
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The Twelve Cats of Christmas
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Kandy Radzinski
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Twelve Days of Summer
Traditional Tune (“Twelve Days of Christmas”)
Word Adaptations by Jan Andrews
Illustrated by Susan Rennick Jolliffe
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I LOVE this adaptation/arrangement of “Twelve Days of Christmas,” called “A Song and a Christmas Tree” as sung by Andy Williams (and a sleighful of friends):
This performance is a testiment to Andy William’s vocal greatness. I’m not sure he gets enough attention for his talent and skill. I can’t imagine anyone singing this song better. His voice is gorgeous, smooth, and elastic. It’s as if he’s got no limits. But he doesn’t abuse it (his voice or the song), which also points to his elegance and good taste.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3AJGQnh0wQ
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This parody about the Twelve Days AFTER Christmas is funny, too:
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The Twelve Days AFTER Christmas
Words and Music by Frederick Silver
http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Days-After-Christmas-Sheet/dp/B001OTE75A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318097862&sr=8-3
YouTube has TONS of videos for this song from choirs and soloists…but this one was my favorite, as sung by the Idlers ast a tavern somewhere:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjeZqzGVkds
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A fun article detailing the mathematics involved in totaling the number of gifts:
http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-how-many-presents/1686
(total gifts = 364)
An article with song history from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)
Click here to a “key” to the supposed “meaning” for each gift “symbol”:
http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/352/Key_to_the_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas.html
A Singable Picture Book Version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJXqRFwtjKQ
Of course I cannot resist The Muppets (or John Denver),
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuNU3y1KAk
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Twelve Days of Christmas for an Orchestra (a bell high up in a pear tree)
While listening to my large collection of Christmas music with my i-Pod’s random play option on, it often happens that I’ll hear something for the first time or “new-again,” like the 1981 Boston Pops recording of “Twelve Days of Christmas,” conducted by John Williams.
This rendition included twelve days of different orchestra instruments and I thought what a terrific way to introduce kids to new instruments. It might take me years to create a book and get a sing-along track put together, but until then, here are the words to help me start the process:
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (FOR THE ORCHESTRA)
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Boston Pops
Conducted by John Williams
(Just the 12th day published below)
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Twelve cymbals crashing,
Eleven cellos plucking,
Ten fiddlers fiddling,
Nine oboes cackling,
Eight piccolos a’trilling,
Seven trombones sliding,
Six drummers drumming,
Five golden strings,
Forty flat cornets,
Three french horns,
Two one-ton bassoons,
And a bell high up in a pear tree.
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Hear this version of “Twelve Days,” on Track 7 of the MP3 on,
To purchase or hear a preview, click:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018OJVAW/ref=dm_dp_trk7?ie=UTF8&qid=1325253823&sr=8-1
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Twelve Days of Orchestra Instruments Picture Guide
To view or print this guide, click here:
12 days orchestra instruments
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Related Posts
CHRISTMAS
A Collection of Singable Picture Books that celebrate CHRISTMAS!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/singable-picture-books-for-christmas/
COUNTING
Counting (and math) in Singable Picture Books
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/counting-and-math-in-singable-picture-books/
HALLOWEEN
A list of spooky, fun, funny and evocative songs for our favorite October Holiday
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/halloween-singable-picture-books-ooooooooeeeeeeeee/
HANUKKAH
A fun list of books to sing and celebrate Hanukkah!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/singable-picture-books-for-hanukkah/
SUMMER CELEBRATION
Songs for Summer, a List of Summery Singable Picture Books
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/songs-for-summer-a-list-of-summery-singable-picture-books/
SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS ILLUSTRATED BY HILARY KNIGHT
This list has lots of good stuff also about KAY THOMPSON who wrote the Eloise books which were illustrated by Mr. Knight
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/a-few-favorite-singable-books-part-101-by-hilary-knight/
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FOR AN ORCHESTRA (A BELL HIGH UP IN A PEAR TREE)
Ah! This brought back some memories…
I was searching around for a YouTube of John Denver singing “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” one of my favorite Singable Picture Books,
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Sunshine on My Shoulders
Words and Music by John Denver
Illustrated by Christopher Canyon
…and ran across this YouTube of Mr. Denver performing the song on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in 1974,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvjNHx_pfX0
Thanks for the memory, John and Johnny. My mother took in Johnny Carson every night like most people take in food and water. She couldn’t sleep without watching Johnny first!
And, 1974! I was 6 then and just becoming aware of myself as a music lover. There’s no doubt my love for John Denver’s voice started ’round then, too, as his records frequently spun on my parent’s turntable.
John Denver has some wonderful things to say about singing at the end of this video clip. He’s talking to Johnny Carson and George Segal, referring to a performance Mr. Segal must have done earlier in the show. Johnny Carson had just ribbed George Segal about playing guitar, and John Denver chimes in saying,
“Listen, I love the way George sings. I mean, you were, you were really right what you said [George], singing is…wonderful. You can get high on singing. And, man, everybody can sing. You know even whales can sing? That’s the truth…And regardless of whether anyone sings good or not, to get that kind of feeling and that kind of enthusiasm that you [George] have in your music, everybody can do that.”
This is a lovely, generous thought from one performer to another. And especially from John Denver, who had a beautiful voice, to George Segal, in praise of George’s efforts sharing humor in song. He’s saying the voice isn’t so much what matters, it’s the SHARING and the HUMOR and the EXPRESSION that matters. And that singing is part our NATURE…and not just our own, but singing is in the nature of most living creatures…including whales.
This is a message that I hope to convey through “Sing Books with Emily,” that music is a wonderful way to share a moment with a loved one. And that music awakens our souls like nothing else can. I take Mr. Denver’s use of the word “high” (in both his quote and in the lyrics of “Sunshine on my Shoulders“) to mean “Spiritually Uplifting.” Singing is Spiritually Uplifting!
And, A child will not usually judge you on your voice. A child will just be glad to have you there, sharing a magical, spiritually uplifting, moment in song.
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Crocodile Smile (10 Songs of the Earth as Animals See It)
Words and Music by Sarah Weeks
Illustrated by Lois Ehlert
The 2003 HarperCollins publication of this book, ISBN # 9780060557454, incudes a CD with Sarah Weeks singing her songs
The songs published in this book are also found on a CD titled “I am an Animal, Songs of Earth as Animals See It“
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Through the Magic Window (Wynken, Blynken & Nod and Other Bedtime Rhymes)
Poems by Eugene Field
Music by Various Artists
Illustrated by Bob Petillo
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I Hope You Dance
Words and Music by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers
Illustrated by Buddy Jackson and Karinne Caulkins
Snowflake photographed by Wilson Bentley
In February of 2010, as Arlington, VA was buried under record snowfalls (snow on snow on snow), I wrote a post about the song and Singable Poem, “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
Today, yet again while cleaning my kitchen (it is amazing the ”deep thoughts” that strike while performing household duties), a lovely song presented itself in a new light. “In the Bleak Midwinter” is also about the giving of a Simple Gift!
I have had the marvelous experience this holiday season to be repeatedly made aware of Simple Gifts. I have heard children singing at a nursing home, discovered “Simple Gifts” as the theme of 2010 holiday decorations at the White House, and heard “The Little Drummer Boy” anew in the light of its being a story about a little boy giving the simple best of what he has to offer. And just now, again, another song, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” presented itself as a Simple Gift.
Like “The Little Drummer Boy,” the story-teller in this poem is struck by profound wonder and seeks to give something worthy of the moment. The narrator, wishing for something more tangible, gives something ultimately which will last forever, her heart. I take this to mean she gives her love and her faith. In this case, the narrator is a Christian, but I think anyone of any faith can take from this that love and BELIEF IN someone else is a gift more precious than anything we can lay our hands on.
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The original post follows
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Writing this in February of 2010, I remember some serious snowstorms in my youth. But never in all my days do I recall a winter storm with snow as deep as what is piled up outside my door in Arlington, VA. We already had snow on the ground when this storm began. AND, the weather man says that more snow is on the way later in the week…snow on snow on snow…
Christina Rossetti (1830 – 1894)
All this snow on snow reminds me of Christina Rossetti’s poem “In the Bleak Midwinter.” A beautiful Christmas poem which can be sung. Rossetti writes of a winter in which ”Snow had fallen, snow on snow, / Snow on snow, /In the bleak mid-winter /Long ago.”
In the Bleak Midwinter
Christina Rossetti
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
I found the first verse of the poem illustrated is Roger Priddy’s sweet book of Sing-Along Christmas Carols.
Christmas Carols (Priddy Books)
Illustrated by Holly Russell
(This book comes with a sing-along CD with arrangements by Andrew Dodge and sung by Emma Cannon, Gerard Carey, and Andrew Dodge)
My favorite setting of this song is by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) and it can be heard many recordings.
This excellent page for “In the Bleak Midwinter,” features text, midi-files (for piano, organ or bells), and free PDF sheet music for download:
http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh221.sht
The printed music is available online by clicking here:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/PDF/cranham.pdf
Historical information on the song and poem also available by clicking here: http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/in_the_bleak_midwinter.htm
For singing along, I love the guitar rendition by John Fahey (Track 14):
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Guitar-Vol-John-Fahey/dp/B0000003O7/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1265481694&sr=8-9
You can also sing-along with these wonderful YouTube videos:
This one includes the words with the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRobryliBLQ
This one sung by the great opera star Kiri Te Kanawa (which also included words)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbcpKCdTREQ
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Other Posts featuring SIMPLE GIFTS
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In the Bleak Midwinter, The February Blizzard of 2010, A Singable Poem, A Simple Gift
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/in-the-bleak-midwinter/
In the Bleak Midwinter, A Singable Poem, A Simple Gift
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/in-the-bleak-midwinter-a-singable-poem-a-simple-gift/
The Little Drummer Boy, A Singable Picture Book, A Simple Gift
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/24/the-little-drummer-boy-a-singable-picture-book-a-simple-gift/
Simple Gifts at the White House:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/simple-gifts-at-the-white-house/
Simple Gifts, a Singable Picture Book:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/simple-gifts-a-singable-picture-book/
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Simple Gifts (The Shaker Hymn)
Words and Music by Elder Joseph Brackett
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
The Little Drummer Boy
A Christmas Festival, the Harry Simeone Chorale
Original Version Album Cover
“Simple Gifts,” the idea, the theme, and the song keep jumping out at me this Holiday Season…a Singable Picure Book of the song, a conversation with a friend, and at the White House.
I was reminded again what a nice gift a simple song can be when chaperoning my daughter’s first grade class to a nursing home last week where the children sang a cute set of 5 seasonal songs and brought light to the day of every person there.
This morning I was cleaning the kitchen while listening to a playlist of favorite Christmas albums when Johnny Mathis crooned ”The Little Drummer Boy.” And I realized that here is a story about a boy, wonderfully told from the boy’s sweet hearted point of view, sharing the simple gift of a song on his drum. What a lovely thing to do.
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Little Drummer Boy
Words and music by Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati, and Harry Simeone
Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
(“Little Drummer Boy” is featured in the Scholastic Video Collection)
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Scholastic Video Collection:
Ezra Jack Keats’ The Little Drummer Boy…and 4 more holiday stories
I LOVE Ezra Jack Keat’s illustrations for his Singable Pictutre Book version of “Little Drummer Boy,” profound deep colors, simple, and beautiful fitting the song.
A surprisingly YOUNG Christmas carol (written in 1941), here is online song history from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Drummer_Boy
Find a “study guide” from Scholastic, here:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods////study_guides/little_drummer_boy.pdf
I grew up watching and loving the Rankin Bass animated story!
Sing-along YouTubes:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT1fA59oH7Q
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKS0GngztOo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XOQ45KdZ3M
The Little Drummer Boy
Words and Music by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
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Other Posts featuring SIMPLE GIFTS
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In the Bleak Midwinter, The February Blizzard of 2010, A Singable Poem, A Simple Gift
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/in-the-bleak-midwinter/
In the Bleak Midwinter, A Singable Poem, A Simple Gift
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/in-the-bleak-midwinter-a-singable-poem-a-simple-gift/
The Little Drummer Boy, A Singable Picture Book, A Simple Gift
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/24/the-little-drummer-boy-a-singable-picture-book-a-simple-gift/
Simple Gifts at the White House:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/simple-gifts-at-the-white-house/
Simple Gifts, a Singable Picture Book:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/simple-gifts-a-singable-picture-book/
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Simple Gifts (The Shaker Hymn)
Words and Music by Elder Joseph Brackett
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
