Song for Advent #3: Gabriel's Message - Sting

This is Sting's reworking of the 13th Century Basque carol Gabriel's Message. It's the first track on his excellent 'If on a Winter's Night...' album from 2009 which I dig out every year about now. However, this version is a bit edgier than that on the album and was recorded in 1987 as a contribution to the 'A very special Christmas album' for the Special Olympic. Writing about the song on 'If on a Winter's Night...' Sting offers a profound theological insight which it is worth bearing in mind during Advent:

Implicit in the story of the birth of Christ is the knowledge of his death and his subsequent Resurrection. This is what connects it to the secular songs about the cycle of the seasons. We are reminded that there is light and life at the centre of the darkness that is Winter – or conversely, that, no matter how comfortable we feel in the cradle, there is darkness and danger all around.