Christmas in Australia (Version 5.9)

Always like the start of Garrison Keillor monologues on ‘Prairie Home Companion’: ‘It’s been a quiet week in Lake Woebegone’.
If it had been filled with less busyness on Currawong Crescent this past week, I would have done a blog or two more. Always happens just before Christmas – simple things become complicated, programmes don’t work, last minute details need a lot more attention …
Tomorrow night at St Stephen’s we’re going to play & sing a blessing I wrote 4 years ago: ‘May we hear the angels sing’. Originally just one verse, it’s got an extra one following requests / suggestions. I usually find it easy to resist such tips, but obviously something rang a bell. The second verse focuses on nature’s response to the birth of Jesus. Well, maybe just including some good pictures that act as background for the main event.
A bit like some of the Wheeler / James carols from 50 years ago or more. We’re doing their Carol of the Birds:
‘Out on the plains the brolgas are dancing … Orana! Orana!’
I think the additional verse is shaping up well, filling out the song:

May we hear the angels sing as they did that night;
see the star up in the sky shine with heaven's light
– 'Glory be to God on high, peace to all the earth' –
gaze with Mary's loving eyes at the Saviour's birth.
Early morning voices call, every magpie sings.
Jacaranda blossom falls — carpet for a king.
Agapantha glory shines under every sky.
Creatures great & humble too sing their lullaby: (repeat v.1)
Robin Mann © 2005

Christmas in Australia (Version 3.9)

‘All the lights are going out, & the moon is on the rise,
down at the hotel they’re closing up for the night.
But here in this place the music's just begun,
softly he plays his tune.
And many a deaf man listens with delight,
'cause the baby's in the manger tonight.’

Reality — Garrison Keillor concludes one of his great monologues talking about it, quoting one of the early American philosophers. Once again, when it comes to the Christian way, reality should be our passion. That’s where the rubber hits the road, where phrases like ‘love is patient & kind’ need to be put into practice.
The great events in God’s history are all real: creation, captivity, release, Christmas, Good Friday, Easter. I believe we need to keep these stories firmly fixed in reality, tell them happening in our town, & not in the clouds or a foreign place.

2 All the streets are cold and still, and the people in their beds;
down in the city the shops are closed for the night.
But here in this place the room is filled with life -
Mary has borne her son.
And the dead are waking up to see this sight,
'cause the baby's in the manger tonight.

Christmas in Australia (Version 3.3)

Back to ‘Outback Christmas’.
One of the best performed songs at the 2008 presentation of this musical was ‘The Ride to Bethlehem’. The band got it moving really well, good singing, & good visuals. The song is based on the poem Norm Habel wrote — scrub & heat, dingoes & bandicoots, pain & mirage.
I guess I wanted to soften it a bit, to make it more a song of promise & hope, which has always been, for me, so much what Christmas is about. The chorus especially picks up the words of the angel, telling Mary not to be scared. (Angels are often telling people not to be scared!)

1. As we rode down to Bethlehem along the country track,
The sweat was on our faces and the flies were on our back;
The heat was simmering round us upon the burning sand.
But Mary still remembered the day it all began.
“Don’t be scared, “the angel said, “Don’t be scared at all.
The one who is inside of you will never let you fall.”
2. As we rode down to Bethlehem they watched us as we passed:
The dingoes and the bandicoots, the pink and white galahs.
They watched us winding slowly beneath the scorching sun.
But Joseph still remembered the day it was begun.
3. As we rode down to Bethlehem, we wondered how we’d fare;
For Mary’s child was coming, and we were miles from anywhere.
Then came the sight we’d longed for, when the sun was in the west:
the little town of Bethlehem inviting us to rest.
Norman Habel & Robin Mann © 1981

Doug Petherick played harp in the original show & recordings, & it always helps to define the song.
‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ has always been a favourite so I was pleased to keep Norm’s last line pretty well intact:
‘a little town called Bethlehem inviting us to rest’.

Christmas in Australia (Version 2.7)

‘The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes’.
We all have different taste, & while some may love this calm picture of the new-born Saviour, I have found it increasingly annoying & unreal. So of course I had to write a song about it! ‘The little Lord Jesus is crying’ tells the story with this theme as full of hope.
When a baby cries it means life. One of the best memories of my life is seeing our newly born twin sons on July 7, 1975, lying in their humid cribs, chests going up & down as they loudly announce their arrival. Jon & Thom (6lb 7 oz & 7 lb) were here, breathing in air for the first time & making a great sound.

1. Stars in the dark sky are speechless,planets don't know what to say.
Angels have stepped out of heaven, they've got the news for today.
The little Lord Jesus is crying, crying,
the little Lord Jesus is crying.

2. Now is the time for a party — music and dancing and lights.
Maybe we might hear the angels,singing together tonight.
The little Lord Jesus is crying, crying ....

Praise, and honour, glory to God never cease.
May the cry of Jesus bring us your peace,
bring us your peace, bring us your peace.

3. Mary, the mystery is deeper now that your labour is done;
mixed with the joy and the wonder pain for a mother and son.
The little Lord Jesus is crying, crying,

4. Jesus, you cry for the lonely,cry for the scarred and the used.
Give me a heart that is broken — help me to cry as you do.
The little Lord Jesus is crying, crying,

Praise, and honour, glory to God never cease.
May the cry of Jesus bring us your peace,
bring us your peace, bring us your peace.

Christmas in Australia (Version 1.2)

‘One night while minding sheep, all me mates they were asleep’ — the beginning to the classic ‘Drover’s Dream’, Australian folk song (from the 19th century, I think). I believe John Pryzibilla may have had the idea to tell the Christmas story with this song, & we may have worked on it together. It was 1975 & the song became part of our band’s repertoire, & was included in Kindekrist’s 3rd collection, the cassette titled ‘Decent Obsession’.
I think it was Floyd Shaeffer, American Lutheran clown-pastor, who said the Christmas story was country & western meeting the Hallelujah chorus. Incongruous. Almost all Christmas music misses the very ordinary human story of the first Christmas. I’m sure this song, ‘The Shepherd’s Dream’, has offended some & been regarded by others as a silly attempt to tell the story in an ‘ocker’ way. I still like it.

1 One night, while minding sheep, all my mates they were asleep,
there was not a star to illuminate the sky.
I was singing to my dog and a half a million frogs,
when a very strange procession passed me by.
First there came an angel bright, looking almost Omo-white -
I tell you, I soon finished up my song.
For although I'd been around through the country and the towns,
I thought, "Hell, what I'm drinking must be strong!"

2 This angel sorta bloke, he just up to me and spoke,
he told me not to worry, not to scare.
He said he had some news, it was good and it was true.
He said he had important things to share:
"For tonight is born a boy who is God's own pride and joy,
born to save us all, he's Christ the Lord.
If you leave here right away you can find him in some hay
in the stable of the local Bed-and-Board."

3 Well, by now my mates had woke, and were staring at this bloke,
and no-one dared to move from where he lay.
But we nearly died of shock when a great enormous flock
of these angels came to finish off the day.
And they sang us all a song of God's glory lasting long,
and peace and all the best to every man (woman and child!).
Then as quickly as they came they just went away the same,
and everything seemed normal once again.

4 So we went into the pub, and out back, just past the dub,
we found the boy asleep inside a trough.
And his Mum was tuckered out,
she'd had it hard enough, no doubt,
and his Dad as well looked like he'd had enough!
Well, we're not religious, but we'd been told about this lot,
so we just knelt and thanked the God we knew.
Then we left and since that night I tell anyone that likes
all about the night the angel brought the news.

(Tune: Traditional. Words: Robin Mann © 1975)

Christmas in Australia

Last year on December 8 Dorothy & I flew back from Brisbane. We’d been invited by our good friends, the Stelzers, to be at their Christmas presentation of Outback Christmas (Robin S is the pastor of the big Lutheran community in the suburb of Rochedale). Over 25 years ago I wrote the music for Outback Christmas, originally a book with paintings by Pro Hart & a text by Norman Habel. Norm & I put together the OC show, with a lot of help from many people (Rod Boucher especially helped me, pushing me to produce 10 songs in 3 weeks!).
We shouldn’t even try to do Christmas in Australia the northern hemisphere way. As the song ‘Christmas where the gum trees grow’ says: ‘Christmas in Australia’s hot, cold & frosty is what it’s not!’
And this is not a unique idea – all around the world Christians tell the story in image, song & story setting it in their own place, their own history. Just as, centuries earlier, it was set in Italy, or Serbia or England.
So let’s sing about ‘the north wind is tossing the leaves’ or ‘the rabbits jump, the lizards crawl’ or ‘ours is a story of Christmas outback’.
More of this to come.

Star-Child

We sang at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gawler this morning, Dorothy & I. It went pretty well. It was a good service with lots of good singing. Community singing in Australia is in decline, but don’t tell the people who worship on Second Street in Gawler. We sang some of Robin Mann’s better songs — ‘Comfort Comfort’, ‘Bread of heaven’, ‘There’ll be peace’ — led predominantly by the superb voice & style of Dorothy Mann!
But before the sermon we sang Shirley Erena Murray’s ‘Star child’ (Carlton Young’s music). What a great song — a prayer for Christmas to become a reality for everyone, combined with a delight & praise for the ‘star-child, earth-Child, go-between of God’ What a fabulous last verse:
‘Hope-for-peace Child, God’s stupendous sign,
down to earth Child, Star of stars that shine:
And 3 verses full of compassion for children in many different situations: ‘street child, beat child …sad child, lost child … spared child … wise child’

I think it’s terrific when a song like‘Star-Child’, so full not only of beauty, but also wisdom, insight & compassion, should be so widely loved.

There'll be peace

I think it was 1981 when first wrote this song. Like a lot of others, it started life as something different, a song called ‘Like a tree’. I didn’t keep the original words, but I think the general idea was that I want to be like a tree (a bit like Psalm 1, & ‘We shall not be moved’). For whatever reason I completely rewrote the words, didn’t think much of it, put it in a folder in a cupboard & forgot about it. In 1987, Dorothy asked what happened to that song. So it was resurrected, went into ‘All Together Everybody’, & has had a happy life since then!
It’s a good song to use during Advent. It’s hopeful, confident that peace will come, despite appearances to the contrary. It’s also somewhat before its time in seeing all of creation receiving the peace promised to us.

1. There'll be peace,
peace for every woman, every man,
stillness on the waters, on the land, on the land.
2. When he comes,
everything will harmonise again,
hatred will be gone, we will be friends, only friends.
There'll be peace on the earth below,
and in the sky above flies the dove.
There'll be peace for the stars that shine,
for the rocks and hills, yes there will.
3. Bring your peace,
peace that started when you gave your life,
bursting from the grave to end the strife, end the strife.
Bring your peace to the earth below,
paint the sky above with your love.
Bring your peace, take our hate away,
give us peaceful ways, peaceful ways.
4. Won't you come,
Jesus, Prince of Peace, oh make it soon,
come and sing your everlasting tune, peaceful tune.
There'll be peace

Like all of God's gifts, peace is something we look forward to in the new world, but also ask God to make it a reality in this old world right now

Sleep little baby

After writing songs for many special occasions over many years, I feel under some compulsion to carry it on. But Christmas Eve is 3 weeks away & there’s no song on the horizon. May have to just rely on songs from previous efforts.
Last year, I wrote a cool, laid back song called ‘Sleep little baby’. Well it should be laid back, being a lullaby! Via the song, we get to be with the ‘dear little baby’, & with Mary & Joseph.

Sleep little baby, dear little baby, shepherds are on their way.
Angels are watching, joyfully watching, heaven’s a song today,
Mary, wonder anew — what’s been promised to you.
Sleep little baby, miracle baby, love — come to us and stay.

Child in the night, lead us all to the light;
shine like a star, show us who you are

Sleep little baby, dear little baby, Jesus, you’re welcome here.
World full of danger, child in the manger, you are the end of fear.
Joseph, dream for the child, keep him safe for a while.
Sleep little baby, God’s special baby, now you are always near.

Child in the night, lead us all to the light;
shine like a star, show us who you are

Sleep little baby, dear little baby, shepherds are on their way.
Angels are watching, joyfully watching, heaven’s a song today,
heaven’s a song today, heaven’s a song today,

Robin Mann © 2008 (4-5/11)

In the near future I hope to either add music on the blog, or have the music available on the site (as are some 20 songs now, the songs from the album 'Let's Sing It Again', a 'best-of' collection.

It’s Christmas

(It’s not really Christmas, but the shops seem convinced, if the pile of catalogues appearing in the post are any indication!)
Meanwhile, a song, written in 1989 especially for a carols night at our then local primary school. Our offspring (no longer our kids, not in their 30’s) all went to Klemzig Primary School, which was right over our back fence. Handy! Two years after Jon & Thom left the school, we were playing for the carols night & I wrote a new song for the occasion. Not a church crowd, but a regular mixture of suburban people, so I made a song that was (hopefully) more suitable for such a group. It’s got a bright, breezy beat, a singable chorus, & connects the biblical story with today’s celebrations.

1 Christmas is coming to the city,
catalogues are flooding through the post
shop decorations, Christmas Pageants —
how many shopping days to go?

It's Christmas, it's Christmas,
so much is happening we might miss seeing
God as a human being

2 Mary and Joseph and their baby
couldn't find a room in Bethlehem
nothing is different, nothing changes
- is there any room today for them?

3 Out in the paddock angels singing,
shepherds were counting more than sheep
they heard the message, they went looking,
they didn't get a lot of sleep

4 I like Christmas, I like parties, I like Santa in his sleigh
I like presents but especially God's Christmas present in the hay

We’re going to sing it on Sunday (at Gawler Lutheran Church) & I think I’ll finally record it next year.