Part labour of love and part trial by fire, alumnus John Wort Hannam (BA/BEd ’96) worked intensely to pull and tease words and melody together until Let It Shine On was born. The song, was debuted on Friday, Jan. 13 as the University of Lethbridge kicked off its 50th anniversary at Founders’ Day Weekend. The song is available for download and all proceeds support student scholarships.
![](/unews/sites/default/files/JWHInteractiveMain.jpg)
We caught up with Wort Hannam for a discussion about the inspiration behind his impactful verses. Lyrically, the song is about dreams, both the kind that are put out into the light and shared with others and the kind that hibernate until the conditions are right. In the first stanza, Wort Hannam talks about his own dormant dream:
I had a dream deep in slumber
Tucked away in my heart
There it lay dry as tinder
Wanting for only a spark
But this hallowed ground where we are found
Set it alight, I felt it ignite
The chorus of Let It Shine On brings in a focus on light, a reflection of the U of L’s motto Fiat Lux, or let there be light. His lyrics also point to the power of illumination in bringing dreams to life:
I’ve seen the northern lights on the Prairies
A billion stars in the heavens above
But the brightest light is one we can’t see
It’s the light dreams are made of
Let it shine on
The second verse of the song speaks to the idea of creating community through sharing stories. A university is well suited to the task as it brings together people from all over the world, each of them with a personal and a cultural story. Wort Hannam addresses the need to listen and share in equal parts as ways to help build an inclusive community.
Tell me your tales, I’ll share you my stories
Let’s teach each other our songs
I’ll take the hand of all before me
And we’ll sing along
Soon we’ll discover, we need each other
Can’t do this alone, not on our own
The bridge in Let It Shine On returns to the theme of dreams of the past, specifically those that were held by some stalwart community members who believed that Lethbridge should be home to a university, despite opposition both provincially and locally. Later, the bridge section of the song pivots away from the past and looks to dreams of the future.
Let’s raise a glass to the dreams of the past
Plans that were laid and arguments made
Cries of dissent and times of content
Times of unrest, lines of protest
But let’s turn a new page. Let’s start a new age
With ideas of faith and ideas of reason
Voices of truth and voices of treason
Songs for peace and songs for freedom
The power of hope and the power of dreaming
And the power of love and the power of believing
Let them all be heard. Let them all be heard.
Let them all be heard. Let them all be heard.
The final chorus harkens back to the themes of light and dreams, but with a special addition.
I’ve seen the northern lights on the Prairies
A billion stars in the heavens above
But the brightest light is one we can’t see
It’s the light dreams are made of
It’s the light inside you and I
It’s the light between you and I
Let it shine on, let it shine on.