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'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,
(refrain)
'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,
(refrain)
'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real
| ScottishWillie (The Scottish Lowlands) | Posted: May 15, 2013 - 00:37 Sometimes less is more and this tracks simplicity allows the beauty of the song and the performance to shine. Exquisite. |
| AvoidingWork (Home of Big Boy #4004) | Posted: Mar 13, 2013 - 07:25 Bill, I know in the world of radio, silence is not golden, but you need a second or two of it after this song to let it reverberate in your soul. |
| misterimpatient (Eastern Massachusetts, USA) | Posted: Mar 13, 2013 - 07:21 Simply lovely. |
| dew34 (Wisconsin-quite woodsy) | Posted: Jan 25, 2013 - 17:56 joelbb wrote: A perfectly simple combination of paired excellencies. very much so!!  |
| coy (san antonio) | Posted: Jan 09, 2013 - 14:25 Tagish_girl wrote: On a whim, I stopped at Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire. The grizzled old tour guide led us to the Meeting House, where he described Shaker worship, which was mostly communal dancing and singing. He took his place over one of the little wood markers inlaid in the wide floor. Then he sang this song and did the accompanying dance. It was so joyous I wanted him to teach me, then we could do it together. Just didn't have the guts to speak up. Shakers were unique to the day. Pacifist, communal, industrious, rigorous equality of the sexes, simple, successful. They invented the washing machine. Go Shakers! what she said |
| cShaggy (..in the general vicinity..) | Posted: Nov 24, 2012 - 01:22 ..officially adopting this one as my theme song..compelling!.. |
| joelbb | Posted: Nov 24, 2012 - 01:19 A perfectly simple combination of paired excellences. |
| vaiodon (Halfway to Paradise) | Posted: Oct 07, 2012 - 11:30 Sublime, ethereal, hard to add much to the (positive) comments already posted. |
| oldsaxon (Wales via Vancouver, BC.) | Posted: Oct 07, 2012 - 11:30 terrapin52 wrote: Not a big fan of this one. No guitars? What's not to like? |
| xkolibuul (Chuckanut sandstone) | Posted: Sep 17, 2012 - 23:46 terrapin52 wrote: Not a big fan of this one. Oh please, what's not to like? Crisp, gorgeous, virtuoso. |
| MJdub (Bay Area, CA) | Posted: Aug 21, 2012 - 16:49 I thought this was rather boring until I really listened to Yo-Yo Ma's playing. Simple Gifts is just kind of a tired old song to me, but wow, that was well done. |
| JIan (SW Desert, AZ, USA) | Posted: Aug 21, 2012 - 16:45  |
| Dahlia_Gumbo (San Francisco) | Posted: Aug 05, 2012 - 10:50 Oh, she sings like an angel. And he plays ethereally. Great combo. Wow. |
| howton52 (Emerald Coast Bayou & New Orleans) | Posted: May 02, 2012 - 11:03 Turning, turning............... what a delight ! Thanks so much |
| cc_rider (Austin Texas. Y'all.) | Posted: May 02, 2012 - 11:02 If Mr. Ma and Ms. Krauss stick with it, they could really make names for themselves... Simply amazing. |
| Grammarcop (Upriver from Zug Island) | Posted: Apr 17, 2012 - 06:17 Yo-Yo Ma is in a class by himself. |
| Deegerino (Sidney BC) | Posted: Mar 16, 2012 - 14:36 We had this song sung at our wedding. A great memory. Thanks for this one! |
| NeuroGeek (Just Way Out There) | Posted: Mar 13, 2012 - 07:12 It doesn't get any more beautiful than this. Turn it up all the way to 11. Yo-Yo's arrangement is spectacular. Several years ago, listening to this album, and this track in particular, inspired me to find a string quartet that could do a version of this at my wedding. It was wonderful. |
| Tagish_girl (found my hammock! Helsingborg, SE) | Posted: Feb 29, 2012 - 01:55 On a whim, I stopped at Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire. The grizzled old tour guide led us to the Meeting House, where he described Shaker worship, which was mostly communal dancing and singing. He took his place over one of the little wood markers inlaid in the wide floor. Then he sang this song and did the accompanying dance. It was so joyous I wanted him to teach me, then we could do it together. Just didn't have the guts to speak up. Shakers were unique to the day. Pacifist, communal, industrious, rigorous equality of the sexes, simple, successful. They invented the washing machine. Go Shakers! |
| pixel-pusher | Posted: Feb 13, 2012 - 20:02 Some very unexpected but appealing counter-melody twists there by Ma. Hints of Copland. And an exquisite voice. Beautiful piece. |
| rdo (DC) | Posted: Jan 28, 2012 - 09:17 Twas good indeed. |
| eswiley2 | Posted: Jan 28, 2012 - 09:15 What's not to like???  |
| Rotterdam | Posted: Jan 13, 2012 - 01:45 10 from me. Perfection. |
| misterimpatient (Eastern Massachusetts, USA) | Posted: Dec 12, 2011 - 06:37 I do love the simple serenity of this performance. Most excellent. |
| DaveInVA (In a hovel in effluent Damnville, VA) | Posted: Dec 12, 2011 - 06:37 Nice version. Judy Collins did a great cover of this on Whales and Nightingales also... |
| terrapin52 (Terrapin Station, SC) | Posted: Nov 25, 2011 - 21:02 Not a big fan of this one. |
| MiracleDrug (Earth) | Posted: Nov 10, 2011 - 13:41 c'mon... how WONDERFUL is that !?!  |
| Ears_of_Stone (Crushed under the hooves of the herd) | Posted: Nov 10, 2011 - 13:40  |
| xtalman (What dimension?) | Posted: Nov 10, 2011 - 13:40 I need to get this for my daughter who has just started to learn to play the cello in school.
Yes Virginia some schools still have good music programs. Thank God. |
| Augustus (Columbus, OH) | Posted: Oct 25, 2011 - 06:27 got flashbacks of catholic grade school, always liked singing in church. |
| ScottishWillie (The Scottish Lowlands) | Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 00:52 ShockwaveRider wrote: I first heard this when in the process of adopting my son. I resolved that, my singing voice be damned, I would sing this to him every night. I did it first on the long flight home and have sung it every night for three years now. Keep up the good work, I am a 53 year old adoptee who was sung to every night to my mother. I can’t sing but I love and appreciate good music, which is why I listen to Radio Paradise. Thanks mum |
| DeAun | Posted: Sep 23, 2011 - 14:20 ShockwaveRider wrote: I first heard this when in the process of adopting my son. I resolved that, my singing voice be damned, I would sing this to him every night. I did it first on the long flight home and have sung it every night for three years now.  The long flight back from where? |
| DeAun | Posted: Sep 23, 2011 - 14:19 What a wonderful pairing, and lovely experience that was! |
| peter_james_bond (West Of The Burg) | Posted: Sep 08, 2011 - 14:24 fingerpin wrote: Gifts, indeed.  Yo, Yo! Mr Ma with AK =  |
| Shawnmcc (Victoria, BC) | Posted: Sep 08, 2011 - 14:20 Musical perfertion. There really is such a thing. |
| ShockwaveRider (PDX) | Posted: Sep 08, 2011 - 14:20 I first heard this when in the process of adopting my son. I resolved that, my singing voice be damned, I would sing this to him every night. I did it first on the long flight home and have sung it every night for three years now. |
| UhLain | Posted: Sep 08, 2011 - 14:19 A million times this.... except for me it was 10th grade choir. And you know how ridiculous those teachers can be about perfection, so it was over and over and over and over.......... blarg! jb0nez wrote: Ahh yes, having to sing this one over and over in my 4th grade Montessori classroom. Too bad, a beautiful song made unpleasant for me. |
| fingerpin (oHIo) | Posted: Sep 08, 2011 - 14:18 Gifts, indeed. |
| chasech5 (Ames, IA) | Posted: Aug 23, 2011 - 05:01 Simple perfection. |
| Poacher (Brighton, UK) | Posted: Aug 23, 2011 - 05:01 *tries to knit yogurt* *fails* |
| shutter (You can't get here from there) | Posted: Aug 23, 2011 - 05:00 Purely sublime. |
| n4ku (Lexington) | Posted: Jul 22, 2011 - 20:26 Jeff09 wrote: Bill, you're weaving some art here...  |
| Jeff09 (Gainesville, Florida) | Posted: Jul 22, 2011 - 20:22 Bill, you're weaving some art here... |
| TerryS (Another SW) | Posted: Jul 22, 2011 - 20:21 aelfheld wrote: Courtesy of William Byrd...........much earlier - and he probably poached it too. Anyway, mr Ma is simply superb. |
| jhorton | Posted: Jul 07, 2011 - 20:36 That was just stunning. |
| jb0nez | Posted: Jul 07, 2011 - 20:34 Ahh yes, having to sing this one over and over in my 4th grade Montessori classroom. Too bad, a beautiful song made unpleasant for me. |
| KevH (Maryland) | Posted: Jun 06, 2011 - 05:09 Quite Beautiful! Thanks Bill! |
| Byronape (Snorkeling in the River Styx) | Posted: Jun 06, 2011 - 05:07 GeneP59 wrote: This reminds me of the Ken Burns series on the Civil War. How is that btw? My dad is a HUGE Civil War buff and has read everything that Bruse Catton has ever written as well as a subscriber to Civil War Times. (It always made me laugh, how much new news could be coming out about the Civil War?) |
| gjones | Posted: Jun 06, 2011 - 05:06 LORD of the dance. Two masters of music singing the praises. Thats the right way to start Monday. |
| Jelani (Home of the freak, land of the vague) | Posted: May 05, 2011 - 15:11 That was beautiful. |