I danced in the morning when the world was begun

I danced in the morning when the world was begun. Sydney Carter* (1915-2004). This is frequently known as ‘Lord of the dance’. In the notes on his hymns the author emphasizes that they grow and coalesce over time into a version that can be published. There seems to be no evidence of when Carter started to sing this song. It was, however, sufficiently well known for the first four stanzas to appear in Student Christian Congress Hymns (Bristol, 1963). In his collection 9 Carols or Ballads (London, 1964) there are five stanzas in a musical arrangement by Donald Swann. Carter’s own note in Green Print for Song (London, 1974) implies that he wrote the words first and then adapted the tune of the...