The Gift

C             C
A poor orphan girl named Maria
                          G
Was walking to market one day
    G
She stopped for a rest by the 
roadside
                                C
Where a bird with a broken wing lay
  C
A few moments passed till she saw it
For it's feathers were covered with 
G
sand
    G
But soon clean and wrapped it was 
traveling
                               C
In the warmth of Maria's small hand

    F
She happily gave her last peso
     C
On a cage made of rushes and twine
    F
She fed it loose corn from the 
market
    C                             
And watched it grow stronger with 
G
time


[Verse 2]
        C
Now the Christmas Eve service was 
coming
And the church shone with tinsel and
 G
 light
Continúa después del anuncio
    G
And all of the townsfolk brought 
presents
                          C
To lay by the manger that night
           C
There were diamonds and incense and 
perfumes
                      G
In packages fit for a king
        G
But for one ragged bird in a small 
cage
                     C
Maria had nothing to bring

    F
She waited till just before midnight
      C         G          C
So no one could see her go in
    F
And crying she knelt by the manger
        C                    G
For her gift was unworthy of Him


[Verse 3]
       C
Then a voice spoke to her through 
the darkness
                          G
Maria, what brings you to me
       G
If the bird in the cage is your 
offering
                      C
Open the door, let me see
           C
Though she trembled, she did as he 
asked her
                             G
And out of the cage the bird flew
                 G
Soaring into the rafters
On a wing that had healed good as 
C
new

F
Just then the midnight bells rang 
out
        C
And the little bird started to sing
  F
A song that no words could recapture
      C                    G
Whose beauty was fit for a King

    C
Now Maria felt blessed just to 
listen
To that cascade of notes sweet and 
G
long
       G
As her offering was lifted to heaven
                                C
By the very first nightingale's song