Part of the album "Let Morning Shine" - a compilation of music for the people of North Korea.

Here's the official description from purevolume.com/letmorningshine :

"Around the 12th of February, 2008, around twenty individuals were 'invited' to contribute and record entirely original compositions for a special compilation of music. Several artistic and technical rules were placed on individuals who accepted, in order to symbolically represent life in North Korea. The artists were encouraged to consider how they might use their gifts of music to reflect or capture the harsh and unsettling reality that the North Korean people face."

Although I had committed myself to this project early on, the idea for this song came only 2 days before the deadline. It was written in one day, recorded the next, and submitted just in time. The lyrics come from Mary's Magnificat - a song found in Luke chapter 1 - and from the well-known carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel.

My sociology professor in college used to remark about how revolutionary Mary's words were. She was just a young girl, and yet here she was proclaiming a great reversal and challenging the powers that be. Far from being demure and acquiescent, she demonstrated great insight into what was going on in her day. There is a sort of raw, courageous idealism in her words - hope for something radical, something new.

I am far from versed in the history of North Korea, but I know that Mary's words convey a universal longing for the world to be made right. Hopefully that longing can be summed up and heard again in this song.