The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is made up of some 360 men and women, all of whom are volunteers. There are many husband-wife combinations and many families have participated in the choir for generations. Choir members are currently limited to twenty years of participation, allowing new members to join the choir on a regular basis.
The choir was founded in August 1847, one month after the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. The choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support their organization. Choir members are not paid for their participation or performances.
Although the choir has traditionally been recognized for its sound quality, the most recent director, Craig Jessop, a student of Robert Shaw, has made changes designed to improve the overall quality of the choir. Jessop's efforts to add vitality to the choir's sound include the formation of The Orchestra at Temple Square, the 2005 addition of The Bells on Temple Square (a hand bell choir), and continual refinement of the choir's tone, enunciation, and repetoire. The minimum age for participation has been reduced from 30 to 25. In addition, new choir members participate in The Temple Square Chorale training choir, a combination music theory/performance school led by associate director and composer/arranger Mack Wilberg.
Lead Kindly Light
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Lyrics
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31243, Hymns, Lead, Kindly Light, no. 97
Lead, kindly Light, amid th?encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
The distant scene?one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor pray?d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
So long thy pow?r hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O?er moor and fen, o?er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's song "Lead Kindly Light" is a prayerful plea for guidance and direction from God. The lyrics begin with a recognition of the difficult and uncertain circumstances the singer finds themselves in - "the encircling gloom" of the night while being "far from home". The singer asks for divine guidance to lead them on the path they should take, and for God to keep them safe along the way. Instead of asking for a full view of the future and all that is to come, they instead ask for strength and faith to take just one step at a time.
The second half of the song takes on a more personal tone, as the singer reflects on their past. They acknowledge that they were not always so open to God's guidance and instead preferred to choose their "garish" path. However, they recognize that this way of living was not true happiness and they ask to be forgiven for any missteps they may have made. The song concludes with a promise of hope for the future, imagining the joy of the morning when they will reunite with loved ones who have passed away.
Line by Line Meaning
Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom;
Please guide me, merciful Light, even in the midst of darkness that surrounds me;
Lead thou me on!
Please continue to guide me, and be with me always;
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
I am alone in the darkness, far from where I belong;
Lead thou me on!
Continue to guide me on this journey;
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
Please protect me from danger, and I do not need to know what lies ahead;
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
I am content with only knowing the next step I need to take on this journey.
I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that thou
I was not always in need of guidance, and did not always ask for help;
Shouldst lead me on.
To guide me forward in my journey.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
I used to be confident in choosing my own path to follow, but now I am lost and in need of guidance.
Lead thou me on!
Please continue to guide me;
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
I used to enjoy the bright and boisterous days, despite my fears;
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
I was too proud and stubborn to ask for help or admit my mistakes. Please do not hold my past mistakes against me.
So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still
I have been blessed by your power for a long time, and I am confident that it will continue;
Will lead me on
You will continue to guide me forward;
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
Through difficult terrain and obstacles, until;
The night is gone.
The darkness has lifted and a new day has dawned.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
In the morning, the faces of angels smile;
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Faces that I have loved for a long time, but have been without for a while.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Bluewater Music Corp., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J. DYKES, J NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rachael Grigg
Lyrics
1. Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
2. I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
3. So long thy pow’r hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Justin Seal
Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead thou me on
The night is dark, and I am far from home
Lead thou me on
Keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene, one step enough for me
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
Shouldst lead me on
I loved to choose, and see my path but now
Lead thou me on
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears
Pride ruled my will, remember not past years
So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since and lost a while
Lead thou me on, lead thou me on...
Lead kindly light
Andrew Paige
I play this song on my headset while crossing the campus of the University. I sometimes shed tears on route to my class because it’s so beautiful. I grew up listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir . May the add a blessing to these gifted saints and musicians.
Rachael Grigg
Lyrics
1. Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
2. I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
3. So long thy pow’r hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Heston Goodrich
thank you, Rachael!
KM-LOC
I picture it saying at the top: To all the Mothers and Fathers out there who have lost their loved ones for a time.
Surabhi Chaddha
Thanku
a s
Beautiful and meaningful song. I just found it in an old Methodist hymnal from 1901 and looked for it here. The old Christian hymns were so worshipful and instructive.
George Felty
The voice of God is speaking through this choir!
KM-LOC
So true. In the past year, I have realized he speaks through everyone who is open to His light. Every time I hear a speaker or teacher in church now, I know it is Him without a doubt speaking through them, even those who I might have before thought were "boring." I was wrong. He speaks through all of them who let His light in.
freedomfyter
Whenever I seek refuge from the daily sins of man I listen to these guys they make me feel closer to God :)
Chris Rattray
Amen to them, amen to you. I feel the same way. It is an amazing form of meditation in christ