From the recording Meant To Fill Up The Soul

Maybe I’m wrong, but there don’t seem to be all that many Thanksgiving songs-- certainly not compared to the number 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,” an adaptation of which my friend Bob Tupper has led for years at a Thanksgiving celebration (but which 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 newly-minted addition to what I think of as a limited genre.
 
© 2015 Steven E. Cutts
a Studio C recording, Fall 2015

Lyrics

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?

The Prime Cutts

Lyrics