Maybe I’m wrong, but there don’t seem to be all that many Thanksgiving songs-- certainly not compared to the gazillions of Christmas-themed tunes. The old standards “We Gather Together” and “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” that I remember from the Methodist hymnal are deeply ingrained, of course. I recommend to you David Roth’s “May The Light Of Love.” And there is Ken Hicks’s “All The Good People,” although that is a more general song of gratitude than specific to the annual American November feast-day. Someday I’ll post a good recording of an earlier attempt of mine called “Give A Little Thanks.”
For the moment, though, here is my addition to what I think of as a limited genre.
© 2015 Steven E. Cutts
a Studio C recording, Fall 2015
Let’s think a minute about this Thanksgiving
And about our existence that’s got very little missing –
Of the opportunities in this lucky life we’re living;
Is there gratitude deep inside your soul?
We sing of America’s great autumn tradition
From back through the centuries, a humble recognition
Of the bounty of the field and the gifts from the kitchen;
Can you feel the Pilgrims’ pride down in your soul?
It’s a time for family, friends, and neighbors;
It’s a brief pause, a rest from our labors
Full of warmth, grace, recipes we savor.
It’s a feast meant to fill up the soul.
The gathering in again -- coming home in November –
Relations who have passed whom we pause to remember –
Sitting ‘round the picture-perfect table Norman Rockwell rendered –
Do the ties that bind wind around your soul?
Cranberries, pumpkin, the turkey on a platter,
Or vegan, Italian, it really doesn’t matter;
Every new dish makes the holiday grow a little grander.
Will this very special meal refresh your soul?