Eleanor Farjeon — The Quiet Woman Behind One of the World’s Most Beloved Songs

Eleanor Farjeon — The Quiet Woman Behind One of the World’s Most Beloved Songs

You’ve heard the song a thousand times.
You may even know every word by heart.
But the woman who wrote it never lived to know it would become a global classic.

“Morning has broken, like the first morning…”

If you’re singing it in your head, you’re not alone. Millions of people around the world recognize the melody instantly.
But almost none of them know the name Eleanor Farjeon.

London, 1881

Eleanor was born into a family overflowing with creativity. Her father was a novelist, her mother the daughter of an American actor, and their home was filled with books, laughter, and music. She was shy and dreamy—a child who found comfort in stories and imagination.

As she grew, she began writing her own tales: whimsical children’s stories and poems that felt gentle and glowing, like morning light on paper.

By the 1930s, Eleanor Farjeon had become a respected children’s author. She wrote dozens of books. Teachers adored her work. Parents cherished it. She was well-loved, but not widely famous—more of a cherished secret in British children’s literature.

1931 — The Hymn That Began Quietly

The editors of a new church hymnal, Songs of Praise, approached Eleanor with a simple request:
Could she write lyrics for a children’s hymn?

They wanted words to accompany “Bunessan,” an old Scottish Gaelic melody that had survived for generations but had never found the right text.

Eleanor sat down to write about something small, familiar, universal:

• Morning
• The first light of a new day
• The feeling of gratitude that arrives quietly, like sunrise

What she wrote was simple, gentle, and full of wonder:

“Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird…”

It was published in the hymnal and quickly became a favorite in British schools and churches. Children sang it in school assemblies. Congregations sang it on Sundays.
It was beautiful—but it stayed tucked away in hymnbooks.

Eleanor kept writing, winning awards, earning honors, and touching young readers with her magical worlds.

On June 5, 1965, at 84 years old, Eleanor Farjeon passed away peacefully.
She never knew what was about to happen to her little hymn.

1971 — The Song Is Reborn

Six years after Eleanor’s death, across the ocean, a young musician named Cat Stevens was searching for songs for his new album.

Someone showed him an old hymnal.
He opened it and found Eleanor’s words.

He played the ancient melody on piano. Something clicked.
He heard not just a hymn—but a universal prayer of gratitude and renewal.

So Cat Stevens recorded it.

His version featured:

• a tender, soulful voice
• a hauntingly beautiful piano accompaniment by Rick Wakeman
• Eleanor’s luminous, poetic lyrics

In 1971, “Morning Has Broken” was released as a single.

And it soared.

• Top 10 in the UK
• Top 10 in the US
• Played across radio stations worldwide
• Adopted by churches, schools, musicians, and families everywhere

It became a wedding song, a funeral song, a morning meditation, a hymn, a pop classic—all at once.

Eleanor Farjeon’s quiet little poem had become a global anthem.

But she was gone.
She never heard Cat Stevens’s version.
She never saw the charts.
She never knew her words would be sung by millions.

The Song That Belongs to Everyone

Today, “Morning Has Broken” has been recorded hundreds of times:

• Celtic versions
• Gospel choirs
• Classical arrangements
• Jazz interpretations
• School choirs and professional orchestras

Artists from Diana Ross to Norah Jones have sung it. It has been translated into countless languages and performed at weddings, funerals, national events, and sunrise services.

Yet most people who sing it have never heard the name Eleanor Farjeon.

A Legacy She Never Saw—but the World Still Feels

Eleanor spent her life writing for children—stories full of light, kindness, and imagination. She never sought fame. She simply wanted to give young readers something beautiful.

And she did.
More than she ever knew.

Today, somewhere in the world, right now:

• A choir is singing “Morning has broken.”
• A family is playing it at a loved one’s memorial.
• Someone is humming it during a sunrise walk.
• A child is learning it for the first time in school.

Her words continue to open hearts the way morning opens the sky.

Eleanor Farjeon never lived to see the global impact of her hymn.
She wrote something small and sincere—and it grew into something timeless.

Nearly a century later, her song still reminds us:

To notice the world.
To feel grateful for a new day.
To celebrate the beauty in simple beginnings.

She never knew it would reach the world.
But the world found it anyway.

And morning—because of her—keeps breaking anew.