Mary, may I hold your little baby?

Mary, may I hold your little baby?
Let me rock him while you sleep awhile...
I will keep him safe from harm.
Wrap my poor cloak around your shoulders
I know that it is worn and old
But at least you will be warm.

Rest now
When you wake I will still be here
Kneeling at the manger bed
Watching o'er your little baby dear
Mary, I heard you sing to your little one.
Even angels and shepherds wept
At your lullaby to God’s holy son.
Mary, may I hold your little baby?
I believe that when he fills my arms
My heart will be full too.

I know that you must be so weary
There was not an inn in Bethlehem
That would take you for the night.
I came to see the little Savior.
I felt the Spirit whispering
To come and feel his light.

Rest now
When you wake I will still be here
Kneeling at the manger bed
Watching o'er your little baby dear
Mary, I heard you sing to your little one.
Even angels and shepherds wept
At your lullaby to God’s holy son.
Mary, may I hold your little baby?
I believe that when he fills my arms
My heart will be full too.

Prophets have waited for a new star
To shine up in the heavens
To guide them to their king.
Look how it shines upon the stable
Bringing rich and poor to worship him.
See the wondrous gifts they bring.

Rest now
When you wake I will still be here
Kneeling at the manger bed
Watching o'er your little baby dear
Mary, I heard you sing to your little one.
Even angels and shepherds wept
At your lullaby to God’s holy son.
Mary, may I hold your little baby?
I believe that when he fills my arms
My heart will be full too.

On the album, this song is sung by my friend Michelle Noval.

Turning Simple Beauty Into Pure Magic

Friday I held a rehearsal for my “choir.” It is actually six people: Dillon, Drew, Michael, Tandy, Stephanie and Cambria. They are singing on three of the songs, and it was so, so fun! Love those guys, and they sound amazing. So I am recording them this week. I am also recording Ric, who is coming out from Utah, Rachel, and possibly Michelle. Crazy, crazy week.

I just wanted to tell you a little story. One of the songs my “choir” is recording is backups for “Did You Know?” You can listen to it over on my other blog, The Welcome Mat. When Garry was here last summer, he recorded it in between some other numbers that we were working very hard on. It was almost an afterthought, but somehow he made it so pure and beautiful that it is my favorite thing he recorded. I have listened to it practically every day since then.

But I have had a special vision for that song ever since last December. I was asked to put together a musical number for a baptism for a very dear friend, Ruth. She was a young mother who found the true gospel of Jesus Christ and wanted to be baptized. I had originally written “Did You Know” for my son Dillon’s baptism, and then a year later added the first verse to make it a Christmas song. So I got my “choir” together (pretty much the same people a year ago, except that Ethan was still here, and he sang, too) and we rehearsed “Did You Know?”

It came time for that musical number, and the small group stood in front of Ruth, who was all dressed in her white clothes and holding her little baby, and they began to sing. By the third verse, several of them were singing in harmony. It built from a very tender beginning to a very powerful third verse, and I don’t even know how to describe the spirit there… it truly felt magical. Everyone shed tears that day. The next day in church was the Christmas program. Bishop Gregson stood up right before the last song, and asked that in place of the closing congregational number, that we perform that musical number again. I figured that in that much-larger setting it would not be the same, but they all stood around the microphone in the chapel, and gave it their best. And by the time we got to the third verse, it felt like an electrical current was going through my body. The spirit was so strong there, that I looked out at the congregation, and again, they were all moved to tears. So what we are doing this week is recapturing the magic. We are adding vocals and strings to the already breathtaking performance that Garry laid down two months ago. And I promise I will give you a sneak preview by the end of the week. Meanwhile, you can read the words here, and enjoy Garry’s performance on the Welcome Mat. Merry Christmas! Are you feeling the love? I’m sending it out there…

Photos are 1:Garry recording and 2:Ruth; gorgeous painting by Joseph Brickey.