Nightingale

Judy Collins is best known for covering songs. Her voice isn't great, but her arrangements were spectacular, and I often forget that she could write a pretty good song herself. Her 1970 release "Whales and Nightingales" included this beautiful "Nightingale" song in two versions, one sung with the lyrics below and the other a very nice instrumental arrangement. (I can't get YouTubes to embed today, so I'm linking.)

Jacob’s heart bent with fear, like a bow with death for its arrow;

In vain he searched for the final truth, to set his soul free of doubt.

Over the mountains he walked, with his head bent searching for reasons;

Then he called out to God for help, and climbed to the top of a hill.

Wind swept the sunlight through the wheat fields,
In the orchard the nightingale sang,
While the plums that she broke with her brown beak,
Tomorrow would turn into songs.

Then she flew up through the rain, with the sun silver bright on her feathers,

Jacob put back his frowns and sighed and walked back down the hill:

"God doesn’t answer me, and He never will."

"Albatross" is a well-written and well-arranged song, too: