Morning has Broken
The text of "Morning has Broken" was written by English children's author Eleanor Farjeon for the 1931 edition Songs of Praise edited by hymnologist and Anglican priest Percy Dearmer, who asked her for a morning song for the volume. He selected the Scottish tune "Bunessan" to which she set her new text; thus, this is not a folksong per se, but it is set to an old folk tune. This tune is lilting and light, and some of the choir members learned the harmonic line, too, so as to sing it in two parts. The words create a lovely recollection on a new morning and the FIRST morning in Eden. There is also a parallel made between the singer's garden and the holy garden "where His [Jesus'] feet pass"; a morning that is "mine" and was/is existing in a spiritual sense. Both contexts should solicit praise: "Praise with elation, praise every morning." The double meaning of "God's recreation"--is God re-creating or is it God's recreation [enjoyment]?--gives food for thought in the last line:
Morning has broken like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!
Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven,
Like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light, Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God's recreation of the new day!
"Morning has Broken" had a rebirth during the Folksong Revival of the 1970s (Cat Stevens recorded it, for instance) and has been recorded by many singers and found in many hymnals. It turned out to be one of the favorites of our children's choir, too!