Notable Bill Staines songs include "Bridges," "Crossing the Water," "Sweet Wyoming Home", "The Roseville Fair", "A Place in the Choir", "Child of Mine," and "River."
His songs have been recorded by other artists including, Peter, Paul, & Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Mason Williams, The Highwaymen, Glenn Yarborough, Jerry Jeff Walker, Grandpa Jones, and Priscilla Herdman. Staines has recorded twenty-two of his own albums, fifteen of which are still in print as of 2005. His songs have been published in four songbooks, If I Were A Word, Then I'd Be A Song; River; Music To Me: The Songs of Bill Staines; and All God's Critters Got A Place In The Choir.
Staines is left-handed and plays a right-handed guitar upside-down so that the bass strings are at the bottom. He has developed his own fingerings and picking style over long years playing this way.
In 2004 his memoir, The Tour: A Life Between the Lines, was published.
How Can I Keep from Singing
Bill Staines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Above Earth's lamentations.
I hear the real. though far off hymn
That hails a new creation
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear its music ringing
It sounds an echo in my soul,
How can I keep from singing?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness -round me close,
Songs in the night, it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm.
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?
When tyrants tremble in their tear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile,
Our thoughts to them are winging.
When friends by shame are undefiled.
How can I keep from singing?
The lyrics to Bill Staines's song "How Can I Keep from Singing" express the idea that even in the midst of struggle and turmoil, there is a deep, inner music that cannot be silenced. The opening lines, "My life goes on in endless song, above Earth's lamentations," suggest that there is a transcendent quality to this music, which rises above the sorrows and sufferings of the world. The hymn that the singer hears is a "real," far-off sound that announces a new creation, one that exists in the face of all the strife and tumult of life.
The next stanza continues this idea, asserting that even when the tempests of life roar and darkness threatens to overwhelm, there is a truth that "liveth" and gives songs to the night. No matter what storms come, the singer remains calm and clings to the "rock" of love, which is the ultimate force that rules over heaven and earth. This love is what keeps the singer singing, no matter what happens.
The final stanza turns to the idea of social struggle, with the singer asking how they could keep from singing when tyrants tremble and their death knells ring out. Friends who are far and near rejoice, and the thoughts of those who are unjustly imprisoned or mistreated wing towards them. Even in the face of shame and suffering, the singer asserts, there is a light that cannot be snuffed out. The song ends with the repeated question, "How can I keep from singing?", a rhetorical flourish that underlines the central theme of the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
My life goes on in endless song
My life continues on as an eternal song
Above Earth's lamentations.
Above the world's expressions of grief and sorrow
I hear the real, though far off hymn
I hear the genuine and authentic hymn, even though it is distant
That hails a new creation
That welcomes a new beginning
Through all the tumult and the strife
Despite all the chaos and conflict
I hear its music ringing
I hear its melody sounding
It sounds an echo in my soul,
It resonates and reverberates within my being
How can I keep from singing?
How can I refrain from expressing my joy and enthusiasm?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
Even when the storm is raging noisily
I hear the truth, it liveth.
I hear the truth, it is alive.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
And even when darkness surrounds me
Songs in the night, it giveth.
It gives me songs to sing in the darkness of the night.
No storm can shake my inmost calm.
No storm can disturb my inner peace.
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Because I am holding onto that foundation.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth,
Because love reigns over everything.
How can I keep from singing?
How can I resist the urge to sing?
When tyrants tremble in their tear
When oppressive rulers are frightened
And hear their death knell ringing,
And know that the end is near.
When friends rejoice both far and near,
When loved ones celebrate whether they are near or far.
How can I keep from singing?
How can I not join in the rejoicing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile,
Even in the confines of a prison cell or a filthy dungeon.
Our thoughts to them are winging.
We send our thoughts and prayers to those in such conditions.
When friends by shame are undefiled.
When true friends remain untainted despite a shameful situation.
How can I keep from singing?
How can I not sing in recognition of their resilience and bravery?
Contributed by Ryan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.