LiederNet logo

CONTENTS

×
  • Home | Introduction
  • Composers (20,139)
  • Text Authors (19,558)
  • Go to a Random Text
  • What’s New
  • A Small Tour
  • FAQ & Links
  • Donors
  • DONATE

UTILITIES

  • Search Everything
  • Search by Surname
  • Search by Title or First Line
  • Search by Year
  • Search by Collection

CREDITS

  • Emily Ezust
  • Contributors (1,114)
  • Contact Information
  • Bibliography

  • Copyright Statement
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us on Facebook

by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864)

I will be true to thee 
Language: English 
I will be true to thee 
Though I share in thy worst despair, 
I will be true to thee, 
Though my own heart be bowed with care.

Though cold neglect upon thy hopes may fall, 
Though fears of death may hover near thy soul, 
Though funeral knells upon thine ears may toll, 
Yet I will be true to thee,
I will be true to thee, 
I will be true to thee. 

I will be true to thee, 
Though I roam in a far off land, 
Whether on earth or sea, 
In a bower or desert strand, 

Though darkest clouds may mar the morning beams, 
And vapors dull may settle on the streams, 
Though blighting Time destroy thy fondest dreams, 
Yet I will be true to thee, 
I will be true to thee, 
I will be true to thee. 

I will be true to thee; 
I will pray for thee night and day; 
Wilt thou be true to me, 
As in years that have rolled away? 

When all thy childhood's dearest hopes have fled
And gloomy visions linger round thy head, 
When all thy dear and early friends are dead, 
Yet I will be true to thee, 
I will be true to thee, 
I will be true to thee.

Text Authorship:

  • by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "I will be true to thee " [author's text checked 1 time 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 Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "I will be true to thee", published 1862. [voice and piano] [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2015-12-26
Line count: 30
Word count: 208

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

Donate

We use cookies for internal analytics and to earn much-needed advertising revenue. (Did you know you can help support us by turning off ad-blockers?) To learn more, see our Privacy Policy. To learn how to opt out of cookies, please visit this site.

I acknowledge the use of cookies

Contact
Copyright
Privacy

Copyright © 2025 The LiederNet Archive

Site redesign by Shawn Thuris