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The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home, 'Tis summer, the darkies are gay; The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom, While the birds make music all the day. The young folks roll on the little cabin floor, All merry, all happy and bright; By 'n' by Hard Times comes a-knocking at the door, Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight. Chorus: Weep no more my lady Oh! weep no more today! We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home, For the Old Kentucky Home far away. They hunt no more for the possum and the coon, On meadow, the hill and the shore, They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon, On the bench by the old cabin door. The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart, With sorrow, where all was delight, The time has come when the darkies have to part, Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight. (Chorus) The head must bow and the back will have to bend, Wherever the darky may go; A few more days, and the trouble all will end, In the field where the sugar-canes grow; A few more days for to tote the weary load, No matter, 'twill never be light; A few more days till we totter on the road, Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight. (Chorus)
Text Authorship:
- by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "My Old Kentucky Home" [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), "My Old Kentucky Home", 1853, also set in German (Deutsch) [ sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ENG ITA ; composed by Stephen Collins Foster.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [an adaptation]
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Antonio Zencovich) , "La mia vecchia patria del Kentucky", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-02
Line count: 31
Word count: 229
Il sole splende nella vecchia patria del Kentucky; questa estate i negri sono allegri, il mais è maturo e il prato in fiore, mentre gli uccelli fanno musica tutto il giorno. I bambini nella capanna si rotolano in terra: ognuno è felice, ognuno è lieto e giocondo, ma presto i Tempi Duri busseranno alla porta e dopo buonanotte, mia vecchia patria del Kentucky. Coro: Non piangere più, mia signora, oh, non piangere più per oggi! Canteremo insieme una canzone per la vecchia patria del Kentucky, per la vecchia patria del Kentucky così lontana. Non vanno più a caccia dell’opossum e del procione nel prato, in collina e lungo la proda, non cantano più al chiaro della luna, seduti sulla panca presso la porta della capanna. Il giorno se ne va come un’ombra sopra il cuore con angoscia, dove tutto era gioia. È giunto ormai per i negri il tempo di partire e dopo buonanotte, mia vecchia patria del Kentucky. (Coro) La testa dovrà piegarsi e la schiena farsi curva dovunque gli schiavi se ne andranno. Ancora pochi giorni e tutta questa pena finirà nel campo in cui maturano le canne da zucchero: ancora pochi giorni per trascinare con fatica il carico sulle spalle. Ma non importa, leggero non sarà mai. Ancora pochi giorni per marciare vacillando sulla strada e dopo buonanotte, mia vecchia patria del Kentucky. (Coro)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2016 by Antonio Zencovich, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "My Old Kentucky Home"
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 31
Word count: 227