Keep a green tree in your heart, 
and perhaps the singing bird will come.

Of doubtful provenance, this saying is ostensibly Chinese

Text Authorship:

• from Volkslieder (Folksongs)  [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 Janet Oates (b. 1970), "Keep a green tree", 2022, copyright © 2022 [ sopranos, viola da gamba, theorbo, baroque violin, recorder and harpsichord ], from Five Tree Proverbs, no. 1
      Score: Janet Oates [external link]  [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-08-23
Line count: 2
Word count: 14