‘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 a place just right
It will be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend we will not be ashamed.
To turn and to turn will be our delight
‘Til by turning and turning we come ’round right.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof
Its streets, its slums, as well as the stars above.
Salvation is here where we laugh, where we cry,
Where we seek and love, where we live and die.
When the true liberty is found
By fear and by hate we will no more be bound.
In love and in life we will find a new birth.
In peace and in freedom redeem the earth.
The tune and original lyrics were written by Elder Joseph Brackett (1797–1882) of the Alfred (Maine) Shaker community. Brackett was also part of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community.
The song was largely unknown outside Shaker communities until Aaron Copland used its melody for the score of Martha Graham’s ballet, Appalachian Spring, first performed in 1944.
The first 8 lines are by Brsckett. The new verses below were written by Victor Ferkiss & Landon Dowdey and reprinted in a songbook created by the Poor People’s Campaign.