Seventeen Lyrics from "Sing-song" , opus 19

by Sidney Homer (1864 - 1953)

Heft 1 -- 1. Eight o'clock  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Eight o'clock;
The postman's knock!
Five letters for Papa;
  One for Lou,
  And none for you,
And three for dear Mamma.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 2. Baby cry ‑‑ oh fie!  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
  Baby cry --
  Oh fie! --
At the physic in the cup:
  Gulp it twice
  And gulp it thrice,
Baby gulp it up.

Text Authorship:

Go to the general single-text view

Heft 1 -- 3. Dead in the cold, a song‑singing thrush  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Dead in the cold, a song-singing thrush,
Dead at the foot of a snowberry bush,--
Weave him a coffin of rush,
Dig him a grave where the soft mosses grow,
Raise him a tombstone of snow.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 4. Love me, ‑‑ I love you  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Love me, - I love you,
  Love me, my baby;
Sing it high, sing it low,
  Sing it as may be.

Mother's arms under you,
  Her eyes above you;
Sing it high, sing it low,
  Love me, - I love you.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 5. Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
"Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!"
  Crows the cock before the morn;
"Kikirikee! kikirikee!"
  Roses in the east are born.

"Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!"
  Early birds begin their singing;
"Kikirikee! kikirikee!"
  The day, the day, the day is springing.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 6. Boats sail on the rivers  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Boats sail on the rivers,
  And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
  Are prettier far than these.

There are bridges on the rivers,
  As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
  And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
  Is prettier far than these.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 7. In the meadow ‑‑ what in the meadow?  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
In the meadow -- what in the meadow?
Bluebells, buttercups, meadowsweet,
And fairy rings for the children's feet
    In the meadow.

In the garden -- what in the garden?
Jacob's-ladder and Solomon's-seal,
And Love-lies-bleeding beside All-heal
    In the garden.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 8. The dog lies in his kennel  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
The dog lies in his kennel,
  And Puss purrs on the rug,
And baby perches on my knee
  For me to love and hug.

Pat the dog and stroke the cat,
  Each in its degree;
And cuddle and kiss my baby,
  And baby kiss me.

Text Authorship:

Go to the general single-text view

Heft 1 -- 9. Lie a‑bed, sleepy head  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Lie a-bed,
Sleepy head,
Shut up eyes, bo-peep;
Till daybreak
Never wake: --
Baby, sleep.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 1 -- 10. Mix a pancake, stir a pancake  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
  Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake, --
  Catch it if you can.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 2 -- 1. Who has seen the wind?  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Who has seen the wind? 
  Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling,
  The wind is passing through. 

Who has seen the wind? 
  Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads,
  The wind is passing by.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 2 -- 2. Dancing on the hill‑tops  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Dancing on the hill-tops,
 Singing in the valleys,
Laughing with the echoes,
 Merry little Alice.

Playing games with lambkins
 In the flowering valleys,
Gathering pretty posies,
 Helpful little Alice.

If her father's cottage
 Turned into a palace,
And he owned the hill-tops
 And the flowering valleys,
She'd be none the happier,
 Happy little Alice.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 2 -- 3. A pocket handkerchief to hem  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
A pocket handkerchief to hem --
  Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
How many stitches it will take
  Before it's done, I fear.

Yet set a stitch and then a stitch,
  And stitch and stitch away,
Till stitch by stitch the hem is done --
  And after work is play!

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 2 -- 4. A motherless soft lambkin  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
A motherless soft lambkin
  Along upon a hill;
No mother's fleece to shelter him
  And wrap him from the cold:--
I'll run to him and comfort him,
  I'll fetch him, that I will;
I'll care for him and feed him
  Until he's strong and bold.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Heft 2 -- 5. Lullaby, o lullaby!  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Flowers are closed and lambs are sleeping;
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
[Stars are up, the moon is peeping;
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!]1
While the birds are silence keeping,
  (Lullaby, oh, lullaby!)
Sleep, my baby, fall a-sleeping,
  Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 omitted by Scott.

Heft 2 -- 6. Hurt no living thing  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Hurt no living thing:
  Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
  Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
  Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.

Text Authorship:

Go to the general single-text view

Heft 2 -- 7. Minnie and Mattie and fat little May  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
Minnie and Mattie
  And fat little May,
Out in the country,
  Spending a day.

Such a bright day,
  With the sun glowing,
And the trees half in leaf,
  And the grass growing.

Pinky white pigling
  Squeals through his snout,
Woolly white lambkin
  Frisks all about.

Cluck! cluck! the nursing hen
  Summons her folk, --
Ducklings all downy soft
  Yellow as yolk.

Cluck! cluck! the mother hen
  Summons her chickens
To peck the dainty bits
  Found in her pickings.

Minnie and Mattie
  And May carry posies,
Half of sweet violets,
  Half of primroses.

Give the sun time enough,
  Glowing and glowing,
He'll rouse the roses
  And bring them blowing.

Don't wait for roses
  Losing to-day,
O Minnie, Mattie,
  And wise little May.

Violets and primroses
  Blossom to-day
For Minnie and Mattie
  And fat little May.

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.