Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a vivid scene of anticipation and sudden, overwhelming arrival. On a specific day, "Whitsonday full of grace," a group gathers "all and some" in a particular location. This gathering feels significant, setting the stage for an event of profound importance.
What follows is a dramatic, almost violent, sensory experience. A "sound out braste" erupts from heaven, described with the startling simile "as it had bene / The commynge of a myghtye blaste." This isn't a gentle whisper; it's a powerful, disruptive force.
The impact of this celestial sound is immediate and total, "Fyllyng the house with dene." The word "dene," while archaic, suggests a deep, resonant, and perhaps even deafening noise. The craft here lies in the stark contrast between the peaceful "full of grace" setting and the explosive, forceful "myghtye blaste" that fills the space.
This powerful auditory event, described with such intensity, creates a feeling of awe and perhaps even fear. The lyrics effectively convey a moment of divine or supernatural intervention, where the ordinary space is utterly transformed by an extraordinary, sound-based phenomenon.