Three English Songs

by Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Baron Berners (1883 - 1950)

Word count: 167

1. Lullaby  [sung text checked 1 time]

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise:
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby,
[Rock them, rock [them]1, lullaby.]2

[Care is heavy, therefore sleep you;
You are care and care must keep you:
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby:
Rock them, rock [them]1, lullaby.]3

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View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Henry Chettle and Thomas Dekker, Patient Grissil, London, 1632. Modernized spelling.

1Warlock: "a lulla"
2 omitted by Casella.
3 Casella replaces this stanza with the following: 
 Care you know not, therefore sleep,
 while I o'er you watch do keep.
 Sleep, pretty darling, do not cry,
 and I will sing a lullaby.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. The Lady Visitor in the Pauper Ward  [sung text not yet checked]

Why do you break upon this old, cool peace,
This painted peace of ours,
With harsh dress hissing like a flock of geese,
With garish flowers?
Why do you churn smooth waters rough again,
Selfish old skin-and-bone?
Leave us to quiet dreaming and slow pain,
Leave us alone.

Authorship

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

3. The green-eyed monster  [sung text checked 1 time]

James gave Elizabeth a Dodo,
He only offered one to me - 
A lovely lemon-coloured Dodo,
With the greenest eyes that you could wish to see.

Now it isn't that I'm doubting if James loves me,
I know that he would ask me out to tea,
But he did give Elizabeth a Dodo
While he only offered one to me.

Authorship

Researcher for this text: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]