INTRODUCTION
Robert Shaw Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our eyes are blinded by the holiness you bear.
The bishop's robe, the mitre and the cross of gold
obscure the simple man within the Saint.
Strip off your glory, Nicolas, and speak!
NICOLAS
Across the tremendous bridge of sixteen hundred years
among my faithful congregation long ago.
All who knelt beside me then are gone.
Their name is dust, their tombs are grass and clay
yet still their shining seed of Faith survives - in you!
It weathers time, it springs again in you!
With you it stands like forest oak
or withers with the grasses underfoot.
Preserve the living Faith for which your fathers fought!
For Faith was won by centuries of sacrifice
and many martyrs died that you might worship God.
CHORUS
Help us, Lord! to find the hidden road
that leads from love to greater Love,
from faith to greater Faith. Strengthen us, O Lord!
Screw up our strength to serve Thee with simplicity.
The song "Introduction" starts with the Chorus singing about being blinded by the holiness that Nicolas carries. They observe that his robes and the cross obscure his simple nature as a man. They implore him to strip off the trappings of his office and speak plainly. Nicolas responds, speaking of crossing the bridge of 1600 years to worship with them as he did with his congregation long ago. He acknowledges that his followers have long since passed, but their faith still endures in those gathered before him. Nicolas urges the people to preserve the faith for which their fathers fought, and to serve God with simplicity.
The song is about faith and the passage of time. Nicolas is a saint from many centuries ago, but his words still hold relevance today. The Chorus is asking him to strip away the symbols of his office so that they can see the man within. This is symbolic of people's tendency to hide behind titles, labels, and symbols of their achievements, obscuring their true selves. Nicolas calls on the people to hold onto their faith and to serve God with simplicity. The song urges people to find the hidden road to a greater understanding of God, to practice their faith in a way that is honest and authentic.
Line by Line Meaning
Our eyes are blinded by the holiness you bear.
We are so dazzled by your religious pomp and symbols that we fail to see the real person beneath the saintly veneer.
The bishop's robe, the mitre and the cross of gold obscure the simple man within the Saint.
The fancy garments and symbols of your position as bishop hide the humble human being who is also a saint.
Strip off your glory, Nicolas, and speak!
Please set aside your impressive vestments and titles and simply speak to us as a human being with something important to say.
Across the tremendous bridge of sixteen hundred years I come to stand in worship with you as I stood among my faithful congregation long ago.
Despite the vast gulf of time since I lived, I feel a connection with you as we share the same faith.
All who knelt beside me then are gone. Their name is dust, their tombs are grass and clay yet still their shining seed of Faith survives - in you!
Although the people who shared my faith in my time are long dead and forgotten, their legacy of strong faith lives on in people like you.
It weathers time, it springs again in you! With you it stands like forest oak or withers with the grasses underfoot.
The faith that has survived for such a long time is still present in people like you and can be either strong like a mighty oak or weak like the grass beneath our feet.
Preserve the living Faith for which your fathers fought! For Faith was won by centuries of sacrifice and many martyrs died that you might worship God.
Please keep the strong living faith that your ancestors fought and died for, as it was often won through great hardships and sacrifices by many brave martyrs who sought only to worship God.
Help us, Lord! to find the hidden road that leads from love to greater Love, from faith to greater Faith. Strengthen us, O Lord! Screw up our strength to serve Thee with simplicity.
We ask the Lord to show us the path that leads to increasing love and faith, and to help us have the strength and simplicity needed to follow it faithfully.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Benjamin Britten
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thomasvenkersammy2153
0:00-2:32
O Fortuna
Velut luna
Statu variabilis
Semper crescis
Aut decrescis;
Vita detestabilis
Nunc obdurat
Et tunc curat
Ludo mentis aciem,
Egestatem,
Potestatem
Dissolvit ut glaciem.
Sors immanis
Et inanis,
Rota tu volubilis
Status malus,
Vana salus
Semper dissolubilis,
Obumbrata
Et velata
Michi quoque niteris;
Nunc per ludum
Dorsum nudum
Fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis
Et virtutis
Michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
Sine mora
Corde pulsum tangite;
Quod per sortem
Sternit fortem,
Mecum omnes plangite!
@thomasvenkersammy2153
0:00-2:32
O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing,
ever waning,
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.
Fate – monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.
Fate is against me
in health
and virtue,
driven on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
so at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!
@cxffaine
1:30
They want to be celery...
SALSA COOKIES!
WINDMILL COOKIES!
THEY GAVE YOU GONORRHEA!
This octopus, give him some boots.
SEND HIM TO NORTH KOREA!!!
OW PAPERCUT!
SANDPAPER, AHH!
POTATO SOUP AND CHICKEN.
Go taste the dip. It’s made with cool whip.
Make room for aaaaAaAaaAAAahh! Piece of lovely caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake.
@thefog7067
O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing,
ever waning,
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice
fate – monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy
fate is against me
in health
and virtue,
driven on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
so at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!
@Raptor3400
in my opinion this is the most spine tingling, goose-bump inducing, hair-raising piece of music of all time.
@mediaman46
Raptor3400 it sounds as if the final battle of heaven and hell, end of days, the apocalypse
@kellyhunt5888
Hell yea bad ass !!!
@ccow24
Yes I seen this opera many years ago and It is EXACTLY as you described!!!!
@user-hm4gx5ho9s
Absolutely. The drum completes it man deep pounding I love it
@thecoatesieshow95
I've heard this in a million movie trailers/reviews/parodies(and of course in The Doors movie) but I never knew what it was called until now.
@projectw.a.a.p.f.t.a.d7762
This has a darkness beauty and power that is on another level.
@duggiefresh8170
This rendering of Orff's masterpiece is the very best.
@keversbakery7283
A True masterpiece
@zizwop
The most infamous music you never knew or know the name of.