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© 2016 by Meg Yardley
The chorus of this song is from a poem by Wendell Berry.
Song is recorded in C. Capoing 3 frets and playing in key of A makes some parts easier (we recorded guitar in both keys and did mix-and-match editing). Here are both versions.
Chorus
C (A) F (D) C (A)
At night make me one with the darkness
C (A) G (E) C (A)
In the morning make me one with the light
C (A) Am (F#m) – C (A)
At night make me one with the dark – ness
C (A) G (E) C (A)
In the morning make me one with the light
Night Verse 1
Cm (Am) G (E)
The night is time for dreaming
C (A) Am (F#m)
of what may come to be
Cm (Am) G (E)
The night is time for drifting
Cm (Am) D7 (B7) – G7 (E7)
through possibili – ty
– CHORUS –
Morning Verse 1
F (D) C (A)
The morning is time for opening
F (D) C (A)
our minds, our hearts, our eyes
F (D) C (A)
The morning is time for shining
Dm7 (Bm7) G7 (E7)
as like the sun we rise
– CHORUS –
Night Verse 2
The night is time for letting go
of burdens that we bear
The night is time for trusting
for comfort and repair
– CHORUS –
Morning Verse 2
The morning is time for stepping out
onto the path that’s true
The morning is time for changing
for building the world anew
– CHORUS –
History & Lore
Meg:
I wrote this song around the time of the Winter Solstice. My daughter was a toddler and I wanted a lullaby to sing to her about the blessings of darkness as well as the blessings of light.
The words of the chorus, from a poem by Wendell Berry, were in an illustrated child’s book of blessings I used to read with her.
One day as I was running around doing errands to get ready for our winter holiday travels, I started putting the words to music.
I wanted to use both minor and major keys to represent the balance between darkness and light, the sweet and the bitter. I started to write a verse about nightmares and fears that can arise in the night – I wanted to be real about the fact that night isn’t always easy and restful.
But I thought that we humans already give these aspects of night plenty of attention. I wanted to bring more awareness to the blessings and benefits.
(And of course I didn’t want to write a lullaby that would scare my kids into staying awake!)
Campfire Chants 