He became widely known for his version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1982), as well as his own compositions "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970), his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell" (his only single to hit the US Billboard Hot 100, making it to the Top 20).
Whittakers first chart success came in 1969 when "Durham Town (The Leavin')" was his first UK Top 20 hit. In 1970 came two follow-up hits, "I Don't Believe In If Anymore" (Top 10) and "New World In The Morning" (Top 20), and 1971 brought two smaller hit singles "Why" and "Mamy Blue".
Whittaker was absent from the UK singles chart until 1975, when "The Last Farewell" went Top 3, after which it was another eleven years until "Skye Boat Song" returned him to the Top 10 of the singles chart.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German language songs produced by Nick Munro (unable to speak German at that time, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically). In time he became more fluent in German and sang and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. Whittaker retired from touring in 2013.
Morning Has Broken
Roger Whittaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
The Roger Whittaker song Morning Has Broken is an uplifting and positive hymn that celebrates the renewal of the natural world each day. The first verse focuses on the power of the morning, as it breaks like the first morning and the blackbird sings like the first bird. The singer encourages us to praise the morning itself and the freshness that it brings to the world. This suggests a sense of wonder and awe at the natural world, and a belief that each day is a new beginning. The second verse talks about the sweetness of the rain, which falls like the first dewfall on the first grass. This emphasizes the purity of the natural world and its ability to regenerate itself. The singer encourages us to praise the sweetness of the wet garden, which is sprung into completeness by the passing of God's feet. This again emphasizes the importance of nature and its ability to restore itself.
The final verse is the most personal, as the singer claims that the morning is theirs, born of the one light that Eden saw play. This suggests a spiritual connection to the natural world, and the belief that God has created each new day as a recreation of the world. The singer urges us to praise each morning with elation, suggesting that each day is a gift to be celebrated. Overall, Morning Has Broken is a song that celebrates the beauty and wonder of the natural world, and encourages us to appreciate and respect it.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning has broken, like the first morning
The morning is breaking, just like it did on the very first day
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
The blackbird is singing, just like the first bird did
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Let's praise the singing birds and the coming of the new day
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Let's praise the newness and freshness of the world coming to life in the morning
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
The new rain is refreshing and sparkling in the sunshine from above
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
The dew is falling just like it did on the very first blades of grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Let's praise the sweet aroma of the garden after a new rain
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
The garden springs up completely where God walks
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
I have the sunlight and the morning, given to me by God
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Everything is born of the same light that Eden was created in
Praise with elation, praise every morning
Let's praise with joy and enthusiasm every single morning
God's recreation of the new day
Every new day is a recreation by God, and worthy of our praise and appreciation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK STEVENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Cucumberdrx
Roger was one of my parents' (both long gone now) favorite artists, and while I usually scoffed at the music I was "forced" to listen to as a young boy while riding in the back of our 66' Impala, I truly enjoyed the treasure of Mr Whittaker's rich baritone voice and incredible whistling.
Now, nearly 50 years later, oh what I'd give to have those moments back.
@EddieVBlueIsland
Like Chris Cristofferson wrote and sang "Spend all my tomarrows for a single yesterday (Me and Billy McGee)
@TheU2now
make me feel old 😀😀😀
@pamelaimbaya510
Lovely song and thanks for Roger's beautiful voice from 🇰🇪
@IreneMy
💖...morning has broken💝...a wonderful blessing to know i am alive!
@saibalmitra1775
Unbelievably beautiful and fresh from the morning garden. Calcutta, India.
@mikemonkey29
My entire happy memories of childhood were played out to this music and his album. Amazing
@kgolokomakgoleng8685
What a refreshing song!
@2233golf2
Its like a greeting from times long gone....wonderful-just great
Thank you for posting.
@carlajanssen684
R.i.p. roger..