George's Grand-daughter, how wonderful of you to post this! I couldn't find the George Tucker of Bright Morning Stars on Myspace- plenty of youn'uns, but not Papa'w. Could you provide a link?

As for those who question the Christianity of "Bright morning star", remember that early American hymnody often used poetical reference to Biblical quotes. Check it out: "I am the bright and morning star."

Many old hymns refer to our fathers and mothers, gone before, in various ways. This one sounds much more Appalachian than Native American. I say that with little scholarly backup, but my instinct speaks from 15 years of researching music from many, many different cultures, and singing and arranging songs for my chorus from various Native American, gospel, African American traditions, and many others. You get a sense of what sounds true within a cultural context. I'm not pretending to be an expert in any of these traditions, it's just instinct.

Speaking from that POV, "Bright Morning Stars" is one of the loveliest early American hymn-like songs ever!