In a country churchyard there's a preacher with his people,
Gathered all around to join a man and woman,
Spring is here and turtledoves are singing from the steeple,
Bees are in the flowers, growing in the graveyard,
And over the hill, where the river meets the mill,
A lovely girl is coming down,
To give her hand upon her wedding day

Dressed in simple white and wearing flowers in her hair,
Music as she walks slowly to the altar,
And picking up his bible then the preacher turns towards her,
"Will you take this man to be your wedded husband,
To honor and love in the eyes of God above,
Now let the people sing with me,
These words to live forever in your heart
Let your love shine on,
For we are the stars in the sky,
Let your love shine strong,
Until the day you fly away"
Many years have fallen on that golden country morning,
The graveyard's overgrown, the church lies in ruins,
Ivy on the walls and ravens wheeling round above me,
As I made my way towards the last remaining headstone,
I fell to my knees, read the lines beneath the leaves,
And suddenly it seemed to me,
I heard the words like singing in the trees
Let your love shine on,
For we are the stars in the sky,
Let your love shine strong,
Until the day you fly
Let your love shine on,
For we are the stars in the sky,
Let your love shine strong,
Until the day you fly away


Lyrics submitted by Bobo192

In a Country Churchyard (Let Your Love Shine On) Lyrics as written by Chris De Burgh

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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In a Country Churchyard (Let Your Love Shine On) song meanings
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    My Interpretation

    This is my first ever comment, and I don't quite know why, but I feel a little ashamed about it being about a Chris de Burgh song. Perhaps it's cos I live with a music facist..... Anyway, I do love this song, and I have loved it ever since being a little girl. Here is my interpretation. I think it is about his parents. The church lies in ruins, so the wedding at the outset must have been a long long time ago. He goes to visit the grave, "the last remaining headstone" (singular) and this makes me think it is both of his parents, buried together in the church yard where they had their wedding day. I feel like it is a lesson in how two people can be young, get married, spend the rest of their lives together and make it "til death do us part". It's a beautiful song.

    chocciemonsteron June 29, 2011   Link

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