I, too sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes. But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll [be]1 at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed. -- [I, too, am America.]2
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View original text (without footnotes)1 Bonds: "sit"
2 omitted by Bonds.
Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "I, Too", appears in The Weary Blues, first published 1926 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990), "I, too, sing America", published 1977 [ SAMTBarB chorus and orchestra ], from Songfest, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Margaret Bonds (1913 - 1972), "I, too", published 1959 [ voice and piano ], from Three dream portraits, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Serge Hovey (1920 - 1989), "I, too, sing America", published 1950 [ voice and piano ], from I, Too, Sing America [sung text not yet checked]
- by Otto Mortensen (1907 - 1986), "I, too", published 1945, from Four Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kurt Pahlen (1907 - 2003), "I, too, sing America" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Thompson (b. 1954), "I, too sing America", 2004 [ tenor and piano ], from Dream Variations, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anna Nussbaum (d. 1931) , "Auch ich bin Amerika" ; composed by Kurt Pahlen.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 62
Ich bin das arme Stiefkind, Sie schicken mich in die Küche essen, Wenn Gesellschaft kommt . . . Aber ich lache, Esse Und werde stark . . . Morgen Werd' ich am Tische sitzen, Wenn Gesellschaft kommt, Niemand wird wagen, Mir zu sagen: "Iß in der Küche!" Denn: Sie werden seh'n, Wie schön ich bin Und werden sich schämen, Denn auch ich, auch ich, bin Amerika!
Authorship:
- Singable translation by Anna Nussbaum (d. 1931), "Auch ich bin Amerika" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "I, Too", appears in The Weary Blues, first published 1926
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Kurt Pahlen (1907 - 2003), "Auch ich bin Amerika", subtitle: "nach Langston Hughes" [voice and piano], confirmed with a CD booklet [ sung text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-01-04
Line count: 17
Word count: 66