The lyrics are by Yogananda, describing the OM-sound as well as the chakras and their respective inner sounds.
The original words can be found in Yogananda’s Songs of the Soul (1923). They must have been the starting point for this special Cosmic Chant. These original lyrics are much more logical and orderly: Yogananda leads the narration up up to the “OM’s tread”, the path of OM. From then on he explains this “OM tread”, listing the chakra sounds one by one, in successive order: from the bumble bee (first chakra), to Krishna’s flute (second chakra) to harps (third chakra) to the bell (fourth chakra) to the ethereal sea (fifth chakra) to the Christmas Symphony (spiritual eye, all sounds together).
The melody was later written by Ella G. Richdale, an early disciple who supported Yogananda. In 1926, this song was notated, and Yogananda copyrighted and sold it as sheet music for 35 cents. See OM-Song. The order of the verses are now changed: it is now less orderly and logical, but more musical this way. At any rate, Yogananda seems to have been happy with this reshuffle of the verses. However, it didn’t make him change the lyrics in Songs of the Soul: in written form this poem is much better if it remains in its original order.
In 1938 Yogananda published the poem, called “OM”, also in his Praecepta Lessons and in 1949 in his Whispers From Eternity. In both publications kept his original logical order of the verses, but added a new verse and changed the wording slightly.
After Yogananda’s passing, that logical verse order was changed in the SRF Lessons and in their updated version of Whispers From Eternity and Songs of the Soul, according to the Om Song. It was probably done in order to uniform the Cosmic Chant and the published poem, avoiding to have two versions.
SRF uses this Cosmic Chant as a regular feature during the yearly 8-hour Christmas meditation.
LYRICS:
Whence, Oh this soundless roar doth come
When drowseth matter’s dreary drum?
The booming OM on bliss’ shore breaks;
All heav’n, all earth, all body shakes.
The BUMBLE BEE doth hum along [first chakra],
Baby Om, now hark ye! sings his song;
KRISHNA’S FLUTE is sounding sweet [second chakra],
‘Tis time the wat’ry God to meet.
Cords bound to flesh are broken all,
Vibrations vile do fly and fall;
The hustling heart, the boasting breath
No more disturb the yogi’s health.
The Gods of fire with fervor sing,
Om, Om: their mystic HARPS now ring [third chakra]
God of Prana sweetly sounds
The wondrous BELL, the soul resounds [fourth chakra].
The house is lulled in darkness soft,
Dim, shiny light is seen aloft.
Subconscious dreams have gone to bed
‘Tis then that one doth hear OM’s tread.
Oh upward climb the living tree [astral spine],
Hear now the sound of ETHEREAL SEA [fifth chakra];
Marching mind doth homeward hie
To join the CHRISTMAS SYMPHONY [all sounds together, spiritual eye]
WHEN TO USE THIS SONG:
Use when meditating on God as Cosmic Sound and Vibration and when meditating on the six spinal centers.
SING ALONG:
This recording comes from the album “Rare Cosmic Chants“.