Gideon
listen
Gideon on Mega
the words
Gideon
An answer to a prayer!
Dew on only the rug,
Dew on only the ground,
Telling you your enemies won’t win.
God sent your armies home,
Leaving just your wits,
Three hundred fighting thousands
With light and noise you let your foes defeat themselves.
Flashy King Noah made people feel good,
He was all show,
Greed and gold.
Liars at his ears, he lost your lands.
You chased him to a tower
When your captors came,
But let him live
On his sinking ark.
You were slaves for a time,
You did not fight but
Fled with your families
Finding your freedom in foreign lands.
You finally fought
When you were old.
A new liar said
No God had saved you,
Pleasure is the law of life.
You drew your sword,
He struck you down,
You died a martyr to your truth.
Or maybe your name means something else--
No striking people down for God,
No tricks to free your people.
An axe for trees for homes for friends,
Wood for stoves,
Wood for winder,
Every day what’s needed.
sheet music and chords
Gideon – OldYogre by OldYogrelyric video
Story of the Song
We considered so many names for each of our children. Each time we found a short list of about eight or ten that quickly shrunk to two or three that we both liked. I don't remember if we chose any much before their births. Gideon was definitely chosen the day he was born. At earliest the day before. You can read the stories of Gideon in Judges in the Bible and in the Books of Alma and Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. There are a lot of lessons you can take away from these stories if you look for the good in them. The stories fit well with the the possibility that Gideon means warrior. One name book said Gideon means "hewer", or a person who cuts or chops something. It said warrior is one way to read the name, but it could mean something more like woodcutter. I'll let you decide from my music what you think I feel about these stories and meanings.
As for the music, the poem came first in several similar versions. With the last one, I heard the background voices repeating "Dew on the ground." From there I constructed the background chants and the melody. Then the chords, the harmony, and last the simple guitar accompaniment. If you like the song or poem enough to perform it yourself, go ahead and change it however you feel. I'd love to hear your version.