Rise and Shine

I remember how the shepherds lay in slumber
And the angels came and broke them from their dreams
And Mary raised her weary head
And Joseph stood there grinning
When the world awoke to the coming of a king
But there were haystacks in his palace
And a manger was his throne
And the hillside never shined so bright
As early Christmas morning
You could almost hear the very heavens sing
They sang, «Rise, rise and shine
The sun is coming in And the morning light is shining in Your eyes, rise and shine
The day is coming on And you know the night is gone so rise»
I remember how the sunlight turned to thunder
And the people ran for shelter from the rain
And the curtain tore and the saints awoke
And the whole earth seemed to tremble
From the fury of God’s anger
Or was it the fury of his love?
There were shadows on the tomb there in the garden
And the mist was rising slowly through the trees
And when Mary saw the silhouette on early Easter morning
I remember how he smiled at her and said
He said, «Rise, rise and shine
The sun is coming in And the morning light is shining in Your eyes, rise and shine
The day is coming on And you know the night is gone so rise»