1. |
The Lonely Shepherd
05:24
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on a cold winter evening
longing for sleep
a group of old shepherds
were tending their sheep
bundling their cloaks up,
breathing into cupped hands
the ones who dozed off
dreamed of distant homelands
but one little boy
stood apart from the rest
wanting neither a pillow nor a blanket for heat
his father, a shepherd,
had upon him impressed
“nothing's more important than tending the sheep”
and it was the coldest of nights
from on high there came a bright light
sheep and shepherds both trembled in fright
but the little boy sprang to his feet
a beautiful echoing voice
promising tidings of great joys
all the men wept just like little boys
but the little boy just herded up the sheep
swaddled up in a stable
just down the road
lay the most wonderous child
the world had known
the shepherds were so happy
they threw down their crooks
they just couldn't wait
to go have a look
and they said to the boy
"aren't you coming, son?
this is something, you know, that really must be seen
it's not every day
that a savior is born"
but the boy said "someone's must tend to the sheep"
so they went and left him alone
dancing toward where the star shone
the little boy sat on a cold stone
and as he watched he started to weep
though he tried hard to shake off the tears
a minute alone felt like ninety years
surrounded by only his sheep and his fears
till it seemed there were more fears than sheep
up above the clouds
where the angels all play
it had been a long time
since so busy a day
God was so nervous
handing seraphs cigars
there were heavenly holes worn
from his pacing the floor
but then one of his angels
tapped his shoulder and said
"sir, there's one little boy whose joy's far from complete"
"I know," God said,
nodding his head,
"I'm so happy he's tending my sheep"
he sent the angel speeding through the night
to bathe the boy in the warmest of lights
it washed away the tears and the fright
God allows no sadness on Christmas Eve
the angel took the crook and gave the boy a kiss
saying "we're so proud of all you've done with this,
but some birthday parties simply cannot be missed,
so for tonight you can trust me with the sheep"
so from the back of a manger
the boy could finally see
the very best shepherd
that there ever will be
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2. |
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Every winter is a close call, it's a free fall
it's a long way down
hard to see there's an end to it at all
Every branch is an outline, against the skyline
but I can't make out
what they're trying to say
but when we string up the lights
it's like somebody invites us in
every wintery night
there's a chance for the light to come through -- you see it, too
(and now)
Finally it feels like Christmas
We needed the night to see the day
the quiet is all around us
there's nothing left for us to say
now it's getting colder, and we're older
and we're upside down
everything is strange
this year's been a long one, and we're unstrung
we've lost the thread
the story got lost
but when we string up the lights
it's like somebody invites us in
every wintery night
there's a chance for the light to come through -- you see it, too
Finally it feels like Christmas
We needed the night to see the day
the quiet is all around us
there's nothing left for us to say
So finally it feels like Christmas
now that I'm sitting here with you
all of the lights look different
and all of the bells are ringing true
Maybe when it's snowing, it's like knowing
that the world can stop
and freeze for a while
Every kind of giving is forgiving
and that's all we need
to be here now
Finally it feels like Christmas
We needed the night to see the day
the quiet is all around us
there's nothing left for us to say
So finally it feels like Christmas
now that I'm sitting here with you
all of the lights look different
and all of the bells are ringing true
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3. |
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Christmas is a small thing
sometimes it's hard to see
it's a needle in a haystack,
not a needle on your tree
it's not lit with color
or sparkled up with light
it's as about as tiny and as far
as the chance we'll get it right
it barely needs a carol
it doesn't need this song
all it needs is the space between
the midnight and the dawn
it's a simple invitation
a home for the refugee
it's in the little margins
where were down among the sheep
you don't need to be found
nor believe in the divine
to find a special smallness
in the universe design
Christmas is a small thing
sometimes it's hard to see
how blind we are to one another
how much smaller we could be
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Ben Smith West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, PA songwriter Ben Smith's songs sound good in both your front parlor and your back barroom---all Tin Pan Alley piano and a fading choirboy voice.
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