<P> The tune was written by Joseph Brackett ( 1797 -- 1882 ) in 1848 . Brackett , a lifelong resident of Maine , first joined the Shakers at Gorham , Maine , when his father 's farm helped to form the nucleus of a new Shaker settlement . </P>
<P> The tune was written by Joseph Brackett ( 1797 -- 1882 ) in 1848 . Brackett , a lifelong resident of Maine , first joined the Shakers at Gorham , Maine , when his father 's farm helped to form the nucleus of a new Shaker settlement . </P>
who wrote tis a gift to be simple
who wrote tis a gift to be simple
Joseph Brackett
Joseph Brackett