The Gift
Joey Rory Lyrics

A poor orphan girl named Maria
Maria was an unfortunate girl with no parents or caretakers

Was walking to market one day
She was heading to the market on a particular day

She stopped for a rest by the roadside
Maria took a break from her journey and sat on the side of the road

Where a bird with a broken wing lay
She saw a bird with a damaged wing laying nearby

A few moments passed till she saw it
It took her some time to notice the bird by her side

For it's feathers were covered with sand
The bird's feathers were covered with sand, making it hard to see

But soon clean and wrapped it was traveling
After being cleaned and wrapped, the bird went on a journey

In the warmth of Maria's small hand
The bird was held in Maria's hands and protected from the cold

She happily gave her last peso
Maria gave her last coin with joy

On a cage made of rushes and twine
She bought a cage made of rushes and twine with the coin

She fed it loose corn from the market
Maria fed the bird with uncooked corn from the market

And watched it grow stronger with time
The bird grew stronger over time under Maria's watchful eye

Now the Christmas Eve service was coming
The Christmas Eve church service was approaching

And the church shone with tinsel and light
The church was decorated with glittering tinsel and bright lights

And all of the townfolk brought presents
The villagers brought various gifts to the church

To lay by the manger that night
They placed these offerings near the manger that evening

There were diamonds and incense and perfumes
There were gifts of precious stones, incense, and perfumes

In packages fit for a king
These gifts were wrapped in packaging suitable for a king

But for one ragged bird in a small cage
There was no gift for a single, tattered bird in a small cage

Maria had nothing to bring
Maria had no offering to present

She waited till just before midnight
Maria waited until shortly before midnight

So no one could see her go in
She planned to enter unnoticed

And crying she knelt by the manger
Maria fell to her knees at the manger and cried

For her gift was unworthy of Him
She believed that her offering was not suitable for the person she was offering it to

Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
A voice spoke to Maria, even though there was no visible source

Maria, what brings you to me
The voice questioned Maria's reason for being there

If the bird in the cage is your offering
The voice inquired if the bird was Maria's offering

Open the door, let me see
The voice asked Maria to open the cage and free the bird

Though she trembled, she did as he asked her
Maria tried her best to overcome her fear and did as she was told

And out of the cage the bird flew
The bird broke free from its cage

Soaring into the rafters
The bird flew up into the ceiling beams

On a wing that had healed good as new
The bird's wing was now completely healed

Just then the midnight bells rang out
The bells rang out, signaling the arrival of midnight

And the little bird started to sing
The bird sang a beautiful song

A song that no words could recapture
Even though the song was beautiful, it was indescribable

Whose beauty was fit for a king
The song was so beautiful that it would even be suitable if sung for a king

Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
Maria felt grateful to be able to hear the magnificent song

To that cascade of notes sweet and long
To the long, melodious cascade of notes

As her offering was lifted to heaven
Even though she herself didn't realize it, the bird's song became her offering to heaven

By the very first nightingale's song
The first nightingale bird's song lifted Maria's offering to the heavens