Story Behind The Song
The lyric is a combination of two poems published in 1949 by
W.H. Crow. One speaks of Angela, the other speaks of the mystery of death.
Song Description
Mourners gather in a church to view the body of a young girl whose beauty gives off a glow even in death. The singer urges the survivors not to mourn, and to take comfort that she has gone on to a better place.
| Song Length |
3:31 |
Genre |
Folk - Alternative, World - Celtic |
| Tempo |
Medium Slow (91 - 110) |
Mood |
Moving, Poignant |
| Subject |
Spirituality, Hope |
Similar Artists |
Dire Straits, Simon & Garfunkel |
| Language |
English |
Era |
1940 - 1949 |
Lyrics
Angela's Asleep
Lyric by Wendell H. Crow and Charlie Crow
Music by Charlie Crow
As her we loved lay in the church,
As cold as our despair,
A little wind came in the door
And whispered in her hair
The rose it ruffled at her breast,
Gave off a crystal flame;
And somewhere near we seemed to hear
The echo of her name.
Blow, smoke; wind, sob;
Shiver, little willow in the brake.
Cloud, weep; grieve, sky--
Angela's asleep and cannot wake.
The silence was a holy thing,
It drowned death's bitter knoll;
And each one knew the Presence there,
And each hurt heart was whole.
The rose it ruffled at her breast
Gave off a crystal flame;
And somewhere near we seemed to hear
The echo of her name.
Pause, love; heart, be still;
Take no hurt because she will not speak,
Earth-dead, God-born,
Angela's asleep, but do not weep--
Angels bless the one you seek.
Lyric adapted from "For Angela" and "In Time of Death," in
The Pilgrim Stranger and Other Verses, W.H. Crow,
Independent Record Press, Thermopolis, WY © Dec. 1949;
© 2006 Fading Sunset Music, All Rights Reserved