by Charles Mackay (1814 - 1889)
The will o' the wisp
Language: English
Where the snake lurks in the tangled grass,
By the slippery brink of the dank morass,
Merrily O merrily O !
I light my lamp, and forth I go !
And to lure astray the lated wight,
I shine all night in the swampy hollows,
Merrily O merrily O !—
Wailing and woe to the fool who follows !
Oh ! Love and Friendship and I make three ;
We roam together in company !
Merrily O merrily !---
We light our lamps, and forth we go !
Friendship showeth a steady ray,
But its dupes ne'er dream that its heart is hollow.
Merrily O merrily O !--
Wailing and woe to the fools who follow !
Oh ! Love indeed hath a fairer gleam ;-
What is so bright as her first fond dream ?
Merrily O merrily O!
We light our lamps, and forth we go !
An early blight if that love be true,
A broken heart if that love be hollow.
Merrily O merrily !---
Wailing and woe to the fools who follow !
Confirmed with Charles Mackay, The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay, London : G. Routledge, 1859, p.281
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Mackay (1814 - 1889), "The Will o' the Wisp" [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 Elizabeth Mounsey (1819 - 1905), "The will o' the wisp", published 1837? [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Remembrance, the Music composed ... by Miss Mounsey, no. 2, London : T. E. Purday [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2024-07-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 162