Donald Lawrence studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. To his credit, Donald's musicality has seen many incarnations, as vocal coach to the R&B group En Vogue, musical director for Stephanie Mills, songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and producer for a host of artists including Peabo Bryson and Kirk Franklin. Lawrence took on The Tri-City Singers after a friend vacated his position as musical director.
The group debuted in 1993 with A Songwriter's Point Of View on a then-brand-new independent record label called GospoCentric Records. The set debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts. The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995. It was the first to be billed as Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and featured black church-ubiquitous hits such as "A Message For The Saints", "I Am God" and "Stranger".
In 1997, Donald Lawrence produced the live portion of Karen Clark Sheard's Grammy-nominated Finally Karen debut. Lawrence & Tri-City also released the seasonal Hello Christmas the same year.
In 2000, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers signed to EMI Gospel. To promote the new album, a maxi CD of the lead single "Testify" to the mainstream. House remixes by Junior Vasquez sent the song to #33 on Billboard's Mainstream Dance Charts. When tri-city4.com was finally released in 2001, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts. The album also got a profile boost from the all-star standout "God's Favor", featuring vocal turns from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price.
In 2004 "I Speak Life" was Donald Lawrence' first solo album, the debut for his newly inked recording contract with Verity Records, and also the first release under his new sublabel Quiet Water Entertainment. Though the album was without The Tri-City Singers, guest appearances were plenteous. Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Faith Evans, Richard Smallwood, and Carl Thomas all contributed to the album. Even jazz notables Ramsey Lewis and Lalah Hathaway were on hand for a remake of the Bible Stories classic "Don't Forget To Remember".
Carol of the Bells
Donald Lawrence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold
Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air
Oh how they pound
Raising the sound
O'er hill and dale
Telling their tale
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home
Ding, dong, ding, dong
The lyrics of Carol of the Bells by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers capture the joy and excitement of Christmas. The first verse sets the tone with the sweet sound of silver bells and a call to throw away worries and embrace the holiday spirit. The chorus echoes this sentiment with the refrain of "Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas." The second verse emphasizes the universal nature of the holiday, bringing good cheer to all, young and old, meek and bold. The bells are described as joyful and incessant, filling the air with words of good cheer and telling their tale over hill and dale. The final verse brings the song to a close, with the bells sending their joyful tone to every home without end.
Overall, the lyrics of this song celebrate the joy, excitement, and universal nature of Christmas. The bells serve as a reminder of the holiday season and all the good cheer it brings.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark! how the bells
Listen closely to the sound of the bells
Sweet silver bells
The bells are beautiful and musical
All seem to say
The sound of the bells convey a message
"Throw cares away."
Let go of your worries and enjoy the holiday season
Christmas is here
The time of holiday celebrations has arrived
Bringing good cheer
Christmas brings joy and happiness to all
To young and old
Both the young and old can enjoy the spirit of Christmas
Meek and the bold
This holiday season is open to everyone, even those who are shy and those who are outgoing
Ding, dong, ding, dong
The bells ring out a joyful sound
That is their song
Their joyful ringing is their form of music
With joyful ring
Their ringing sound is full of happiness and joy
All caroling
Their sound is like a choir singing together
One seems to hear
The sound of the bells can be heard everywhere
Words of good cheer
The message conveyed by the sound of the bells is one of joy and happiness
From ev'rywhere
The sound of the bells can be heard from all around
Filling the air
The sound of the bells is beautiful and surrounds everything
Oh how they pound
The bells ring out loudly and strongly
Raising the sound
The sound of the bells grows louder and more intense
O'er hill and dale
The sound of the bells echoes throughout the countryside
Telling their tale
The ringing of the bells tell a story of joy and happiness
Gaily they ring
The bells ring joyfully
While people sing
People join in singing songs of joy and happiness
Songs of good cheer
The songs sung are uplifting and spread happiness
Christmas is here
The holiday season has arrived and everyone is celebrating
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Wish for a joyful and happy Christmas season
On, on they send
The sound of the bells continues to spread throughout the land
On without end
The ringing of the bells goes on forever
Their joyful tone
The sound of the bells is full of joy and happiness
To ev'ry home
The sound of the bells reaches every home and brings happiness
Ding, dong, ding, dong
The bells continue to ring out a joyful sound
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Mykola Leontovych, Luther Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
VWM
on Soulful Noel
Shoo Ba Doo Deet deet dee
Doop Doo Doo
Shoo Ba Doo Deet deet dee
Doop Doo Doo
Verse 1
It was the first Noel the angels did say
To certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay
Keeping their sheep on a cold winters night
This was so deep y’all it was so right
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Verse 2
I can imagine it was a cold night (Oo so cold)
All of the shepherds, trying to do (their jobs right)
Suddenly in the sky, there appeared (the sky, the sky, the sky)
A host of angels, which caused them to fear
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Verse 3
Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy (great joy)
In the city of David of (Christ, the Lord)
You can find these things in swaddling clothes
(Tell it , Tell it Go tell it)
I want you to go and tell everybody you know
Go tell them that Christ is born
Verse 4
I’m going to tell everyone that I meet (hi oo)
To go and humble yourselves at (this child’s feet)
He came to save to heal and forgive (heal and forgive)
So that we all we might live
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Born is the King of Israel
Born is the King of Israel
He is the King of Israel