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by Lizette Woodworth Reese (1856 - 1935)

The dead ship
Language: English 
The ship came sailing, sailing,
Into our old town--
My love combed out her golden hair;
It fell to the hem of her gown.
Oh, my heart, break!

No master and no crew was hers,
A ship of the dead was she,
And sailing, sailing, sailing--
The folk ran out to see.
Oh, my heart, break!

And first they said nor yea, nor nay;
Then some began to weep;
And some did count their little lads,
As a shepherd counts his sheep.
Oh, my heart, break!

Oh, sailing, sailing, sailing--
"Whom will it be?" said they;
"She never sails to this our town
But one doth go away."
Oh, my heart, break!

"Yea, one will go from this our town
And come back nevermore;
Whate'er His will, Lord God is good;"
Thus I at my love's door.
Oh, my heart, break!

Thereat I turned into the house
And climbed up my love's stair,
And called her softly--through the dusk
I saw her golden hair.
Oh, my heart, break!

Who went away from our old town
And came back nevermore?
It was my love; she lay there dead
Upon the chamber floor.
Oh, my heart break!

Text Authorship:

  • by Lizette Woodworth Reese (1856 - 1935) [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 Margaret Ruthven Lang (1867 - 1972), "The dead ship", op. 15 (Five songs for soprano or tenor) no. 2 [ soprano or tenor and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this page: Nich Roehler

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-19
Line count: 35
Word count: 195

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