How Can I Keep From Singing / The Great Storm Is Over

Song Meaning

The lyrics present a profound sense of peace and liberation following immense hardship. The opening section, "How Can I Keep From Singing?", establishes a narrator whose inner life is so filled with a "real though far-off hymn" that external "lamentations" and "tumult" can't drown it out. This suggests an unshakeable inner joy or faith that transcends immediate suffering, creating a powerful contrast between the world's chaos and the soul's persistent song. The second part, "The Great Storm Is Over", shifts to a more communal and declarative tone, announcing a definitive end to a period of intense struggle. The imagery of thunder and lightning gives way to "sweetness in the air and justice on the wind," painting a picture of a world transformed. This isn't just personal peace; it's a societal and spiritual renewal, where "deaf shall have music and the blind have new eyes" and "release for the captives" becomes a reality. The repeated "Hallelujah, the great storm is over / Lift up your wings and fly" acts as a powerful refrain, a collective exhalation of relief and a call to embrace freedom. The lyrics skillfully weave together the personal comfort offered to a "little lame child" with grand pronouncements of justice and healing, suggesting that the end of the "storm" brings both individual solace and widespread societal change. The narrative arc moves from an internal, almost defiant, song of hope to an external, jubilant proclamation of a new, peaceful era. What makes these lyrics so resonant is their ability to articulate a universal experience of overcoming adversity. The transition from the quiet, personal strength in the first part to the grand, celebratory pronouncements in the second creates a compelling emotional arc. The specific, almost miraculous, images of healing and restoration – the lame dancing, the blind seeing – ground the abstract concept of a "great storm" ending in tangible, hopeful outcomes, making the "Hallelujah" feel earned and deeply felt.