According to Wikipedia, “The tune to which [“Morning Has Broken”] is normally sung is called ‘Bunessan,’ based upon a Gaelic melody. Before Farjeon’s* words, it was used as a Christmas carol with lyrics which began ‘Child in the manger, Infant of Mary.’ The English-language Roman Catholic hymnal also uses the tune for the hymn ‘This Day God Gives Me.'”
SIDEBAR: Cat Stevens aka Yusuf Islam has frequently been erroneously credited with writing “Morning Has Broken.” Stevens did record and release arguably the definitive version of the song on his album Tea For The Tillerman*.
This album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and is included in the list of “The Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.” The list is available at eil.com and can be printed out. The artwork featured on the record’s cover was created by Stevens, a former art student.
*Tillerman definition, a person who steers a boat or has charge of a tiller.
Morning Has Broken Lyrics
(A Traditional Song, Lyrics by *Eleanor Farjeon)
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day
SIDEBAR: “The familiar piano arrangement on Stevens’ recording was performed by Rick Wakeman, a classically trained keyboardist best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes …”In 2000, Wakeman released an instrumental version of “Morning Has Broken” on an album of the same title. That same year he gave an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live in which he said he had agreed to perform on the Cat Stevens track for £10 and was “shattered” to be omitted from the credits, adding that he never received the money either.” —Wikipedia
The following review is from the Tea for the Tillerman Audio CD:
“Tea for the Tillerman” still beckons to be heard, a rare feat for any popular recording that has aged beyond 30 years. Cat Stevens completely transcends the self-conscious trappings that plague many musicians and delivers a sparkling testimony about the life of a seeker.
Though undercurrents of melancholy run through many songs, Mr. Stevens does not give in to sadness and depression. Instead, the theme of love lost in the classic Wild World absolves his lost lover and warns her about the ways of the world. He confronts dying with an unflinching resolve in But I Might Die Tonight and appeals to the ideas of Zen in the muscular, celebratory Miles from Nowhere. Mr. Stevens raises the eco-flag in Where Do the Children Play, which still sounds relevant despite a few archaic (at least to current American sensibilities) words such as “lorry.”
He visits the quest motif more than once—perhaps an indication of his own state of mind at that time—in the jaunty On the Road to Findout and the plaintive dialogue that captures the essence of the generation gap in Father and Son. In Sad Lisa, he confronts a quest of a different sort, chronicling the narrator’s efforts to deal with some form of mental illness, though it’s not entirely clear if Lisa is real or an apparition only the narrator can see.
Mr. Stevens also delves into the possibly related themes of contacts with UFOs in the metaphorical Longer Boats and experimentation with psychotropic drugs as he catalogs images and experiences that merge Into White.
The stellar band that supply the musical textures here are in fine form, especially second guitarist Alun Davies, long the unsung hero on the best of Cat Steven’s recordings. Mr. Stevens and Mr. Davies interweave melodies and ideas so seamlessly that it’s almost impossible to separate one from the other. The rhythm section here ranges, whether nearly muted or unleashing torrents of energy, never intrudes but always anchors the songs. The strings on “Tea for the Tillerman” sparkle like moonlight on the ocean, offering subtle relief and counterpoint without choking out the music as they do on some of Mr. Steven’s later recordings.
Mr. Stevens made many excellent recordings, some good ones, and one transcendent one, “Tea for Tillerman.” I hope that he has found the peace he sought and am thankful for this gift he left us before entering the life of contemplation and devotion that beckoned him.