Alternative words to "Lord of the Dance"

Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraj) CC0

Above, is a picture of a statue of a Hindu god, Shiva. Shiva has many names. One of them is “Lord of the Dance.” The lesson spoken by this statue is: life is birth and then death, but do not be afraid, for it is all a dance. This message is heard also in the song “Lord of the Dance.” The original song was written in 1963 to describe Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Sydney Carter, the author of the original lyrics of "Lord of the Dance" said the words were partly inspired by a statue of the Hindu deity Shiva. The chorus to the song proved so compelling to Pagan songwriters that hundreds of alternative verses have been written to augment the Christian ones.

The Lord of the Dance

1
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I dance through the heavens and I danced on the earth:
I dance through death around to birth.

CHORUS: Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the dance, you see,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
Bound by love we join in the dance so free.

2

I sleep in the kernel and I dance in the rain,
I dance in the wind, and through the
waving grain,
And when you cut me down, I care nothing for the pain -
In Spring I'll be the Dance again!

CHORUS

3

I dance in the circle of community

In fire and wind and through the dancing tree

I dance in the waves of the bright summer sea

I am the Lord of the wave’s myst’ry

CHORUS

4
The Moon in her phases and the tides of the sea,
The movement of Earth, and the
seasons that will be
Are rhythm for the dancing and a
promise through the years -
The Dance goes on through joy and tears.

CHORUS

5
They cut me down, but I leap up high!
I am life that will never, never die.
I'll live in you and you'll live in me -
We are Love in the Dance, let's be!

by Hilda Marshall, Marty Hale-Evans, and Amy Beltaine, based on the tune by Sydney Carter

Try It

Here's a link to a downloadable MP3 that has the right number of verses and choruses (and no vocals) if you'd like to sing these lyrics with accompaniment! 

Hymns Without Words – Piano & Woodwind Arrangement

A gentle, five-verse instrumental version available for free download, ideal for congregational singing or meditation. play.hymnswithoutwords.com/i-danced-in-the-morning

Margaret Mead offers:

Prayer does not use up artificial energy,

doesn't burn up any fossil fuel, doesn't pollute.

Neither does song, neither does love, neither does the dance.

Agnes DeMille once said:

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.

Remember Shiva’s lesson: we are all a part of the dance of life. The creation, the destruction, but do not fear, it is all a dance.

May I have this dance with you?

Beloved, You are whole, holy, and worthy,

Rev. Amy

For Further Exploration

• Carter, Sydney. Lord of the Dance – The original 1963 hymn by Sydney Carter connects the life of Jesus to the eternal rhythm of life, inspired in part by the Hindu figure Shiva Nataraj.
https://www.hymnary.org/text/i_danced_in_the_morning_when_the_world

• Eck, Diana L. Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India – An accessible introduction to Hindu ways of engaging with divine imagery, including the significance of Shiva Nataraj.
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo3639035.html

• Zimmer, Heinrich. Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization – Includes a rich discussion of Shiva Nataraj as a symbol of the cosmic dance of creation and destruction.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691017785/myths-and-symbols-in-indian-art-and-civilization

• Reclaiming Collective. Pagan Book of Living and Dying – This resource from a contemporary Pagan tradition includes chants and rituals that celebrate the turning of the wheel of life, death, and rebirth through embodied spiritual practice.
https://reclaimingcollective.wordpress.com/resources/recommended-reading/

• Wells, Evelyn. The Sacred Dance: The Dance as a Recurrent Theme in Mythology and Religion – Explores how cultures across the world understand dance as spiritual practice.
https://archive.org/details/sacreddance00well

• Dance as Spiritual Practice – This short article from Spirituality & Practice reflects on the ways dance connects the body, spirit, and sacred rhythms.
https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/27823/dancing-as-a-spiritual-practice

• Margaret Mead & Agnes DeMille Quotes – For more on dance as a liberatory, sacred, and joyful act, explore these and other reflections in Dance Was Her Religion: The Spiritual Choreography of Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham by Elizabeth Kendall.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1099240.Dance_Was_Her_Religion

See Also These Posts

• Embodied Practices in Spiritual Direction. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/04/embodied-practices-in-spiritual.html
• Apophatic and Cataphatic Orientations in Spiritual Direction. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/03/apophatic-and-cataphatic-orientations.html
• Mysticism in Spiritual Direction. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/03/mysticism-and-spiritual-direction.html
• Celebrating Spring while your Neighbors Celebrate Easter. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/04/celebrating-spring-while-your-neighbors.html
• The Earth Whispers Your Name: Exploring Spiritual Tending Rooted in Nature. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-earth-whispers-your-name-exploring.html