"Lord of the Dance" was written by the English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. The tune was adapted from the Shaker melody "Simple Gifts", which is usually attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett from Alfred Shaker Village in Maine. It was written in 1848.
Sydney Carter thought that people wouldn't like it but it became one of his best-loved compositions. He said, "Sometimes, for a change I sing the whole song in the present tense. 'I dance in the morning when the world is begun...'. It's worth a try."
This version is sung (in the past tense) by Barley Bree, the Irish-Canadian band.
