Do Not Leave Your Cares At the Door
A feast of old-time gospel offering welcome and acceptance
Music: Elizabeth Alexander
Words: Norman V. Naylor
Welcome and acceptance are at the heart of this warm choral offering, served up in a feast of old-time gospel with an embracing “Amen.” A powerful concert opener, call to worship, or building dedication song.
“Another Elizabeth Alexander hit. The choir was rocking as it got into singing this.” Steve Finner, Music Director, Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Johnsbury (St Johnsbury, VT)
Details and Ordering Information
Composer Notes
“Do Not Leave Your Cares At the Door” has its roots in old-time gospel and popular American folk song, reflecting my own upbringing in the Carolinas and Appalachian Ohio. By all means, go ahead and sing this song with the vocal nuance and abandon which these genres suggest!
Do Not Leave Your Cares At the Door
Do not leave your cares at the door.
Do not leave them there when you come into this place.
Be open to forgiveness and transformation —
Come on in; you are welcome here;
And do not leave your cares at the door.
Bring your pain and sorrow and joy,
There’s a place for them upon the altar of life.
Be open to forgiveness and transformation —
Come on in; you are welcome here;
And do not leave your cares at the door.
This is a place of grace,
Of losing and finding the way upon the winding road,
Meeting and parting,
Stumbling and starting over.
Every journey is sacred here, even yours.
Do not leave your cares at the door.
Do not leave them there when you come into this place.
Be open to forgiveness and transformation —
Come on in; you are welcome here;
And do not leave your cares at the door.
Poem by Norman V. Naylor
Adapted by Elizabeth Alexander
Original poem © 1997 by Norman V. Naylor
Adapted text © 2006 by Elizabeth Alexander
Performers
Premiere: Angela Newhouse, Abbie Betinis, J. David Moore and Stephen Harper. UUMN National Conference (St. Paul, MN)
Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church Chancel Choir / Schmidt Peters (Goessel, KS)
Armstrong Chamber Singers / Stephanie Trump (Robbinsdale, MN)
Chalice Singers of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island / Mavis Cauffman (Freeland, WA)
Chamber Choir of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville / Jaie Tiefenbrunn (Nashville, TN)
Chancel Choir of Front Street United Methodist Church / Laura Sam (Burlington, NC)
Chancel Choir of Grace Baptist Church / Wanda Fennell (Richmond, VA)
Choir of Arlington Street Church / Mark Buckles (Boston, MA)
Choir of Bedford Presbyterian / Barbara Flocco (Bedford, NH)
Choir of Camrose United Church / Darryl Dewalt (Calgary, Alberta CANADA)
Choir of Community Church of Chapel Hill / Glenn Mehrbach (Chapel Hill, NC)
Choir of First Parish in Concord / Beth Norton (Concord, MA)
Choir of First Presbyterian Church of Richmond, VA / Suzanne Riehl (Richmond, VA)
Choir of First Unitarian Church of Baltimore / John Olin (Baltimore, MD)
Choir of First Unitarian Church of Chicago / Jeff Hamrick (Chicago, IL)
Choir of First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati / Jera Cox (Cincinnati, OH)
Choir of First Unitarian Church of San Jose / John Ector (San Jose, CA)
Choir of First Unitarian Society in Newton / Anne Watson Born (West Newton, MA)
Choir of First Unitarian Society of Ithaca / Jennifer Lawrence Birnbaum (Ithaca, NY)
Choir of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Rochester, MN / Joe Mish (Rochester, MN)
Choir of Home Moravian Church / Lynda Alexander (Winston-Salem, NC)
Choir of Kingston Unitarian Fellowship / Phyllis Robbins. Building Dedication (Kingston , ON)
Choir of Mt Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church / Mark Tuning (Walnut Creek, CA)
Choir of Neighbourhood UU Congregation / Susanne Maziarz (Toronto, ON CANADA)
Choir of Second Congregational Meeting House / Diane T Lehman (Nantucket, MA)
Choir of Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church / David Simmons (Overland Park, KS)
Choir of Starr King Unitarian Universalist Church / Mary Hazelton. New Building Dedication (Hayward, CA)
Choir of Starr King Unitarian Universalist Fellowship / Sarah Dan Jones. 40th Anniversary of the Fellowship (Plymouth, NH)
Choir of Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship / Andrea Newall. New Building Dedication (San Diego, CA)
Choir of Unitarian Church of Lincoln / Julie Enerson (Lincoln, NE)
Choir of Unitarian Church of Los Alamos / Nylea Butler-Moore. New Building Dedication (Los Alamos, NM)
Choir of Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence / Susan Harper (Lawrence, KS)
Choir of Unitarian Univeraslit Church of Columbia, MD / Desiree Long (Columbia, MD)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham / James Sullivan (Birmingham, AL)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Church of Eugene / Tom Sears (Eugene, OR)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Church of Saint Johnsbury / Steve Finner (Barre, VT)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City / Nancy Holland (Studio City, CA)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula / Camille Harrison (Carmel, CA)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta / Donald Milton III (Atlanta, GA)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin / Philip Hildreth (San Raphael, CA)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Grand Valley / Peg Oswald (Grand Junction, CO)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of LaCrosse / Becky Post (La Crosse, WI)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula / Janet Gecowets (Newport News, VA)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Peace Fellowship / Cynthia Bizzell (Raleigh, NC)
Choir of Unity Church-Unitarian of Saint Paul / Ruth Palmer (St. Paul, MN)
Choir of Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, MI / Diana Munch (Farmington Hills, MI)
Choir of UU Congregation at Willamette Falls / Allison King (Oregon City, OR)
Choir of UU Society of Iowa City / Gloria Corbin (Iowa City, IA)
Choir of UU Society of Wellesley Hills / Suzanne Cartreine (Wellesley Hills, MA)
Choir of White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church / Thaxter Cunio (Mahtomedi, MN)
Minnehaha Academy Madrigal Singers / Karen Lutgen (Minneapolis, MN)
Minnesota Oratorio Society and Mounds Park Academy Chorus / George Hsu (Columbia Heights, MN)
Mounds Park Academy Chamber Choir / John Haberman (St. Paul, MN)
Neighborhood Spirit Choir / Suzanne Maziarz (Toronto, ON CANADA)
Orange Coast Choir / Beth Syverson (Costa Mesa, CA)
Pacific Northwest UU Music Festival Choir / Elizabeth Alexander (Shoreline, WA)
Roosevelt High School Choir / Starks Holcomb (Sioux Falls, SD)
Saint Thomas Alumni Choir / Casey Johnson (St. Paul, MN)
