Come, Life, Shaker Life

DESCRIPTION: "Come, life, Shaker life, come, life eternal, Shake, shake out of me all that is carnal. I'll take nimble steps, I'll be a David, I'll show Michael twice how he behaved."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1940
KEYWORDS: Bible religious nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 37, "Come, Life, Shaker Life" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Edward Deming Andrews, _The Gift to be Simple: Songs, Dances and Rituals of the American Shakers_, 1940 (references are to the 1962 Dover reprint), pp. 102-103, "Come Life, Shaker Life" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6669
NOTES [133 words]: Although every text of this song I have seen refers to "Michael," the correct name is "Michal." Michal was the younger daughter of Saul, who loved and was married to David (1 Samuel 18:20f.) and saved him from her father (1 Sam. 19:11f.).
Later, however, when David had become king, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. During its progress, "David danced before YHWH with all his might" (2 Sam. 6:14). And "Michal daughter of Saul looked out... and saw King David leaping and dancing... and she despised him in her heart" (2 Sam. 6:16).
David and Michal apparently were never reconciled; when she scolded him, David's response was that the girls would like what he was doing (! - 2 Sam. 6:22). "And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death" (2 Sam. 6:23). - RBW
Last updated in version 3.8
File: LoF037

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