Lord of the Dance
Words & Music by Sydney Carter

We are always being asked about Sydney Carter's Lord of the Dance, so here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions, as well as a few other facts you might not have known.

• Lord of the Dance was composed in 1963 - many people believe it's old because it's a hymn they sang at school.

• No, Mr Flatley it's not Celtic!

• Sydney was born on 6th May 1915 and died on 13th March 2004.

• The tune is an adaptation of the Shaker tune 'Simple Gifts', but is accepted and acknowledged as a separate copyright in its own right

• It's not 'Traditional' - it is fully copyright throughout the world, and as such, permission should be requested for reproduction on web sites and in 'order of services' etc. Stainer & Bell Ltd (the host of this page) are the copyright owners and to whom requests should be sent. For the USA, and Canada however, Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188 (e-mail hope@hopepublishing.com) administer the copyright on our behalf

• The so called 'Pagan version' is simply a rip-off and parody of the song and has obviously never been authorised

• In recent statistics from CCLI, Lord of the Dance was found to be currently the fifth most sung copyright song in school assemblies in the UK. (Sydney's 'One More Step' came first and 'When I needed a Neighbour' was the seventh most performed

• Sydney described it as a carol - 'a dancing kind of song, the life of which is in the dance as much as in the verbal statement'

• Sheet music is available, in various arrangements - click here

Sydney Carter wrote...

"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.

The Shakers didn't. This sect flourished in the United States in the nineteenth century, but the first Shakers came from Manchester in England, where they were sometimes called the "Shaking Quakers". They hived off to America in 1774, under the leadership of Mother Anne. They established celibate communities - men at one end, women at the other; though they met for work and worship. Dancing, for them, was a spiritual activity. They also made furniture of a functional, lyrical simplicity. Even the cloaks and bonnets that the women wore were distinctly stylish, in a sober and forbidding way.

Their hymns were odd, but sometimes of great beauty: from one of these (Simple Gifts) I adapted this melody. I could have written another for the words of 'Lord of the Dance' (some people have), but this was so appropriate that it seemed a waste of time to do so. Also, I wanted to salute the Shakers.

Sometimes, for a change I sing the whole song in the present tense. 'I dance in the morning when the world is begun...'. It's worth a try".

From Green Print for Song, Stainer & Bell (1974)
and Lord of the Dance and other Songs and Poems, Stainer & Bell (2002)