Precept and Line

According to Edward Deming Andrews in The Gift to Be Simple, this song “... was sung slowly and deliberately as the worshippers placed one foot before the other in ‘the narrow path.’”

Precept on precept and line upon line,
We’ll walk in the path out Mother has trod,
Yes straight and clear strightness, the pure way of God.

It is possible to admire the Shakers for their fervor and their crafts, but ultimately they’re pathetic and more than a little creepy. This will be the last of their tunes here for a while.

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