Our Ignatian song this week is “Morning Has Broken,” a lovely song of thanks for creation:
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 world.
It sings of gratitude, the spirit of the Ignatian outlook on the world.
The editor of an Anglican hymnal commissioned it because he wanted a song that gave thanks for each day. The lyrics were written in the early 1930s by a poet named Eleanor Farjeon and paired with a traditional Gaelic tune.
Cat Stevens made the song famous with a recording in the early 1970s. Its sweetness, simplicity, and universality have made it classic. Here is Stevens performing it in 1976.
I used to sing a part of this song and now that I’m trying to sing it with my guitar realized how beautiful is praising to God’s work
On July 13th, 2009, at 6:40 am, I sang this song to my brother as I watched him draw his last breath after a long, aganizing illness.
I had not thought of the song in years but, I was looking out of the window after a long night, when I saw the sun trying to come up through the pink clouds. I exclaimed to my brother that he had made it to a new day; with that the music and words flowed out of me. I walked back to his side, held his hand and he took his last breath and passed on to a far better place.
Every morning I start my day off with this hymn.
One of the songs that never die
It brings back memories of my childhood. I ‘m glad that I came across with the song again and let me reflect on the lyrics. Simply beautiful. Thanks for the wonderful song.
I’m glad to know that it IS actually christian treasure…
I remember that this song started playing on the radio when the sun broke through the clouds. It was 1972 in the Philippines. Martial law was about to be declared, and as if in warning, it rained for 40 days. I’ll never forget how Cat Steven’s came on the radio in front of the hardware store in Baguio, and how the sun came streaming down. It felt like hope. It would take years. But it felt like hope.