In 1862, during the US Civil War, General Daniel Butterfield wanted a new
melody for "lights out" And so, without any musical training, he composed one
in his head.
Years later, the general wrote, "I called in someone who could write music,
and practiced a change in the call of "Taps' until I had it suit my ear, and
then... got it to my taste without being able to write music or knowing the
technical name of any note, but simply by ear, arranged it." General
Butterfield gave the music to the brigade bugler, and the rest is history.
While there are no offical lyrics to the hauntingly familiar strains of
"Taps," here is a commonly accepted version of one verse;
"Day is done, gone the sun,
From the hills, from the lake, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh."
What a comforting lyric as faithful members of the military are laid to rest!
And what hope in the acknowledgment that God is NEAR, even-especially-in death!
At a time when death and evil reigned, the Prophet Isaiah anticipated a day
when death itself would die, "Your sun shall no longer go down," he wrote to
Israel, "for the Lord will be Your everlasting light." (Isiah 60:20)
For those who follow Jesus, thestrains of "Taps" are not a funeral dirge but a
song of hope. "The days of your mourning shall be ended" (Isaiah 60:20) All
is well, God is nigh." - Tim Gustafson
From Our Daily Bread Bread
"Sunset in one land is sunrise in another."
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■ Synchronet ■ Origin: The Hard Drive Cafe - Montgomery Al USA - www.hdcbbs.net
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