Lyr Req: Turning of the World (Ruth Pelham)

Subject: Need words to song Turning of the World?
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 02:37 AM

Some years back a friend sang a song that started out something like "Let us sing a song to the turning of the world, that we might turn as one; every voice, every song we will move this world along and the world will hear the echo of our turning."

Can anyone point me to the complete and correct lyrics? It's a lovely song.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need words to song Turning of the Wo
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 03:21 AM

Click here

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need words to song Turning of the Wo
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 12:17 AM

Thanks, Ed!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need words to song Turning of the Wo
From: GUEST,MAG at work
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 11:47 AM

You will also find this in the UU Hymnal. It was written by Ruth Pelham.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need words to song Turning of the Wo
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Oct 01 - 12:36 PM

It is on Pelham's 'Look to the People' Flying Fish LP 399 [1986]. She noted that it was an example of what Lee Hays called a 'zipper song':

Let us sing this song
For the (turning, loving, healing, dreaming, singing) of the world
That we may (turn, love, heal, dream, sing) as one
With every voice, with every song
We will move this world along
And our lives will feel the echo
Of our (turning, loving, healing, dreaming, singing)

Why on earth is authorship claimed for the Berlin Student Chorus in the link given by Ed? It was copyrighted by Pelham in 1982 - Silver Crane Music ASCAP.

--Stewie.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE TURNING OF THE WORLD
From: Genie
Date: 22 Oct 01 - 01:34 AM

Here's the full text from the site given above:
The Turning of the World

Let us sing this song for the turning of the world
That we may live as one.
With every voice, with every song,
We will move this world along,
And our lives will know the echo of our turning.

Chorus:

With every voice, with every song,
We will move this world along.
With every voice, with every song,
We will move this world along.
And our lives will know the echo of our turning.

Let us sing this song for the artists of the world
That we may work as one.
With every voice, with every song,
We will move our work along,
And our eyes will see the colors of the children.

Chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need words to song Turning of the Wo
From: Barbara
Date: 22 Oct 01 - 06:31 AM

Looks to me like the Berlin Student Chorus felt they'd changed enough of Ruth's words to claim the song as their own. The did write a lovely line there at the end of the second verse, and the word "artist" is not in Ruth Pelham's original set of suggested zipper words to add, but I don't think that constitutes writing a new song.
Out there in the trad world, however, people like Burl Ives and The Clancy Brothers (or the Kingston Trio, for that matter) have been doing just that for as long as there's been copyrights.
I wonder how Ruth feels about having her song appropriated that way?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: ADD Version: Turning of the World (Ruth Pelham)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jun 17 - 08:29 PM

Here's how I sing it:

TURNING OF THE WORLD
(Ruth Pelham)

1. Let us sing this song for the [turning] of the world
That we may [turn] as one.
With every voice, with every song,
We will move this world along,
And our lives will feel the echo of our [turning].
With every voice, with every song,
We will move this world along.
With every voice, with every song,
We will move this world along.
And our lives will know the echo of our [turning].

2. [loving] [love]

3. [healing] [heal]

4. [dreaming] [dream]

repeat last line at the end with: and our lives will feel the echo of our healing / ...loving / ...turning

©1982 Ruth Pelham

A rather nice performance of this song by Stephen Brickman and Annie Gofberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyKBs6Ls1Pw

Another by Sara Thomsen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=empGgV8Usvk