"but I think the lyrics of "Lord of the Dance" are trite - that's why they make me cringe."

Like "Blowing in the Wind", "Dirty Old Town", "Streets of London" and a lot of The Beatles output to name but a few?

It is a product of it's age (written in 1963) and has stood the test of still being sung better than most. Whether it deserves to is another question.

For those interested Carter's own take and rationale for using Simple Gifts can be found here.

Lord of the Dance

Steve