why did you go little fourpaws? you forgot to shut your big eyes. where did you go? like little kittens are all the leaves which open in the rain. little kittens who are called spring, is what we stroke maybe asleep? do you know?or maybe did something go away ever so quietly when we weren't looking.
5 Songs for Contralto
Song Cycle by John Milton Cage (1912 - 1992)
1. Little Four Paws  [sung text not yet checked]
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in XLI Poems, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 1, first published 1920
See other settings of this text.
Confirmed with E. E. Cummings, Tulips and Chimneys, New York: Liveright, 1976, in Chansons Innocentes, page 27.
First published as "V" in Seven Poems, in The Dial, Vol. 68, No. 1, January 1920. Not included in the first edition of Tulips and Chimneys, but included in XLI Poems in 1925.
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
2. Little Christmas Tree  [sung text not yet checked]
little tree little silent Christmas tree you are so little you are more like a flower who found you in the green forest and were you very sorry to come away? see i will comfort you because you smell so sweetly i will kiss your cool bark and hug you safe and tight just as your mother would, only don’t be afraid look the spangles that sleep all the year in a dark box dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine, the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads, put up your little arms and i’ll give them all to you to hold every finger shall have its ring and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy then when you’re quite dressed you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see and how they’ll stare! oh but you’ll be very proud and my little sister and i will take hands and looking up at our beautiful tree we’ll dance and sing “Noel Noel”
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in XLI Poems, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 2, first published 1925
See other settings of this text.
Note: this poem entered the public domain in 2021.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
3. In Just‑  [sung text not yet checked]
in Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee -- and eddieandbill come running from marbles and piracies and it's spring when the world is puddle-wonderful the queer old balloonman whistles far and wee and bettyandisbel come dancing from hop-scotch and jump-rope and it's spring and the goat-footed balloonMan whistles far and wee
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in Tulips and Chimneys, in 1. Tulips, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 1, first published 1920
See other settings of this text.
First published as "IV" in Five Poems, in The Dial, Volume 68 no. 5, May 1920, and in 1923 in Tulips and Chimneys.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
4. hist whist  [sung text not yet checked]
hist whist little ghostthings tip-toe twinkle-toe little [itchy]1 witches and tingling goblins hob-a-nob hob-a-nob little hoppy happy toad in tweeds tweeds little itchy mousies with scuttling eyes rustle and run and hidehidehide whisk whisk look out for the old woman with the wart on her nose what she'll do to yer nobody knows for she knows the devil ooch the devil ouch the devil ach the great green dancing devil devil devil devil wheeEEE
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in Tulips and Chimneys, in 1. Tulips, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 2, first published 1923
See other settings of this text.
View original text (without footnotes)1 W. Mayer: "twitchy"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
5. Another Comes  [sung text not yet checked]
Tumbling-hair picker of buttercups violets dandelions And the big bullying daisies through the field wonderful with eyes a little sorry Another comes also picking flowers
Authorship:
- by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in Tulips and Chimneys, in 1. Tulips, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 3, first published 1923
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]