[Verse 1] At home we learn the names we love, the hands that held us small; We learn to show our kin respect, to answer when they call. In Latter-day Saint homes, the family is sacred, held in trust; A covenant to Abraham calls blessing through us. We wish our kin a life of joy, we hope their dreams come true— Until their light begins to rise and shines as bright as ours do. Then pride can draw a quiet line we never meant to see: I love you, long as you don’t rise too high above me. [Chorus] Kith and kin, the ones we know, the ones we welcome near— But if they’re not our kith and kin, then who are they out here? A stranger? A neighbor? A soul we pass on by? What part of us can make them less beneath the same wide sky? [Verse 2] Long ago, the word “kith” held close the people known by name: The neighbors and the familiar ground, the ones who felt the same. And kin were those of family, the ones our hearts held dear— Two words for those we knew and loved, the near ones gathered here. But someone walks our street today with another shade of skin, A different song, a different prayer— do we let them in? We bless the faces like our own, the ones we understand; Who gets our kindness when they come from some less familiar land? [Chorus] Kith and kin, the ones we know, the ones we welcome near— But if they’re not our kith and kin, then who are they out here? A stranger? A neighbor? A soul we pass on by? What part of us can make them less beneath the same wide sky? [Bridge — The Parable] A traveler fell beside the road, wounded, alone, in need. Some passed him by; they knew the way, but would not stop to heed. Then one who crossed the boundary line came near and stayed awhile; He bound the wounds, he bore the cost, he walked with him a mile. And Jesus asked who proved a neighbor there upon that road. Not who shared his name or custom, but who helped bear his load. If the one we called a stranger can become the one who cares, then what part of us keeps saying some are kin and some are not ours? [Final Verse] Kin may start with those we’re born to, the family we call ours; But love can reach beyond its doorway, past the walls and fences, far. Kith can be our kind as well— different, and still near; Each life a world the heart can learn, each story one to hear. We can learn to love the difference, let compassion make us wide; Wish the best for every being, lay our measuring pride aside. With our Creator’s light before us, may our welcome grow and shine— We’ll celebrate both kith and kin in the Day of Light. [Final Chorus] Kith and kin, the ones we know, and those we’re learning to see— No stranger stands beyond the reach of love’s possibility. A neighbor, a traveler, a soul beneath the same wide sky: No one is less, no one left out— come walk with us in light. [Outro] Kith and kin, and all between, may every heart belong.
