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by John Collings Squire, Sir (1884 - 1958)

I'm sure that you would never guess
Language: English 
I'm sure that you would never guess 
The tales I hear from birds and flowers, 
Without them sure 'twould be a mess 
I'd make of all the summer hours ; 
But these fair things they make for me 
A lovely life of joy and glee. 

I saw some sheep upon some grass, 
The sheep were fat, the grass was green, 
The sheep were white as clouds that pass, 
And greener grass was never seen ; 
I thought, " Oh, how my bliss is deep, 
With such green grass and such fat sheep! 

And as I watch bees in a hive, 
Or gentle cows that rub 'gainst trees, 
I do not envy men who live, 
No fields, no books upon their knees. 
I'd rather lie beneath small stars 
Than with rough men who drink in bars. 

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by John Collings Squire, Sir (1884 - 1958), "Mr. W. H. Davies", appears in Tricks of the Trade, first published 1917 [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 Albert Hay Malotte (1895 - 1964), "The poor old man", published 1939 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-01-22
Line count: 18
Word count: 133

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