When You Were Born (Navajo Prayer) Songs

By Jody Healy

Some background on the song from Jody:

“I went to see the Shaman, Martin Prechtel at his book reading for “Long Life, Honey in the Heart.” I purchased his book and inside of the book was the Navajo Proverb. I was immediately touched by the Proverb and that night on my way home, the music to the Navajo Prayer emerged as a chant. Driving over Hwy 17 through the winding Santa Cruz mountains, I sang the prayer with passion and gusto over and over, all the way home until the music and song were etched in my heart.

I love this prayer, I sing it often. It gives me great solace. I love hearing other people, both as individual musicians and choirs sing this song. I credit Kate Munger, Director of the Threshold Choir as the one who realized the song could be sung as a round in three parts. As she said, “This song has feet.”

For more information about the song from Jody: https://whenyouwereborn.weebly.com/

A note: We have credible information saying this text was originally written by the poet Kabir, from India, not a Navajo prayer.