Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day. English Traditional.
The cosmic dance between Christ and humanity is the basis of this carol. Its unusual first-person-singular perspective and dance metaphor echoes the Apocryphal Acts of John (Second Century) in which Christ says:
I would be saved, and I would save. Amen. . .
I would be born, and I would bear. Amen. . .
Grace danceth. I would pipe; dance ye all. Amen. . .
Whoso danceth not, knoweth not what cometh to pass. Amen. (ver. 95).
The eleven stanzas of ‘Tomorrow shall be my dancing day’ are often described as a Cornish carol. It was first printed in William Sandys*’ Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern: The Most Popular in the West of England,...
If you have a valid subscription to Dictionary of Hymnology, please log inlog in to view this content. If you require a subscription, please click here.
Cite this article
MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 9 Nov. 2024.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/tomorrow-shall-be-my-dancing-day>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed November 9, 2024,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/tomorrow-shall-be-my-dancing-day.