A folk song from the sixties from Sydney Carter, a songwriter best known for “Lord of the Dance.” His Guardian obituary is fascinating.
The kingdom of heaven as a journey is well sung in this allusive song where the repetition is very effective. We must sing it occasionally because I had already made a backing for it – I made it a while ago and I don’t think I can do better.
Chorus
Travel on, travel on, there’s a spirit that is flowing,
a spirit that is flowing night and day.
Verse 1
Travel on, travel on with the spirit that is growing,
the spirit will be with us all the way.
Travel on, travel on with the river that is flowing,
the spirit will be with us all the way.
Chorus
Verse 2
Travel on, travel on there’s a spirit that is growing.
The spirit grows like flowers night and day.
Travel on, travel on with the flower that is growing.
The spirit will be with us all the way.
Chorus
Verse 3
Travel on, travel on, there’s a spirit that is playing.
The spirit plays like music every day.
Travel on, travel on with the music that is playing.
The spirit will be with us all the way.
Chorus
Verse 4
In the Kingdom of heav’n is our end and our beginning
and the road that we must follow every day.
Travel on, travel on to the kingdom that is coming.
The Kingdom will be with us all the way.
© Stainer & Bell Ltd 1969,1972.
These are not the original words by Sydney Carter as published by Galliard 1969, which are much more powerful….eg ‘there’s a river that is flowing…there’s a flower that is growing…travel on to the music that is playing…in the kingdom of heaven is my end and my beginning……etc
This was the poetic vision of Carter – sad that the strength and subtlety was not caused by the established churches.
,
‘Valued’ not ‘caused’ – computer picked wrong word!
I was thinking that too . I looked this up as it was the song us children sang on the last day of term at primary school before we all left to go to secondary school (much weeping and blubbing) , “travel on travel on there’s a river that is flowing , that river will be with you all the way”