Voices from a Forgotten World: American Songbook V

by George Crumb (1929 - 2022) 

A Cycle of American Songs from North, South, East, and West

1. Bringing in the sheaves
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, 
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, 
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Refrain
 Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, 
 We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves, 
 Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, 
 We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows, 
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended, 
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
(Refrain)

 ...

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. Somebody Got Lost in a Storm
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Somebody got lost in a storm, 
Somebody got lost in a storm.
Somebody got lost, somebody got lost, 
Somebody got lost in a storm.

Poor sinner got lost in a storm, 
Poor sinner got lost in a storm.
Poor sinner got lost, poor sinner got lost, 
Poor sinner got lost in a storm.

Don't ever get lost in a storm, 
Don't ever get lost in a storm.
Don't ever get lost, don't ever get lost, 
Don't ever get lost in a storm.

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

3. The House of the Rising Sun
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun.
And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl, 
And me, O God, for one.

If I had list'ned to what my mother told me, 
I'd have been at home today, 
But I was young and foolish, Oh God, 
And let a rambler lead me astray.

Go tell, please go tell, my baby sister, 
Don't do what I have done, 
But shun that house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun.

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

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4. Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Oh, why don't I work, 
Like other men do?
How the hell can I work
When the skies are so blue?

Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout
And revive us again!

Oh, springtime has come
And I'm just out of jail, 
Without any money, 
Without any bail.

Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout
And I'll buy a nip of gin!

I knock'd on a door
To beg a scrap of bread, 
Then a lady came out and says
The baker is dead.

Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout
And revive us again!

I don't give a damn
What good people think, 
So long as I got plenty
Of hooch to drink.

Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout
And I'll buy a nip of gin!

Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout
And revive us again!

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

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5. I wonder as I wander  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
how Jesus [the]1 Saviour did come for to die
for poor [ordn'ry]2 people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

when Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow stall
with wise men and [farmers and shepherds]3 and all
[but high from the Heavens a star's light did fall]4
[and a promise of ages it then did recall]5

If Jesus had wanted [for]6 any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing;
Or all of God's angels in Heav'n for to sing,
He surely [could have it 'cause]7 he was the King!

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je m'émerveille en marchant", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je m'interroge en me promenant", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

View original text (without footnotes)

Note provided by Jeroen Scholten: This text is often described as an Appalachian carol transcribed by Niles, but he did more than transcribe it according to The Songs of John Jacob Niles: New Edition Containing Eight Additional Songs, with a Preface by John Jacob Niles, New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1993. From Niles's preface, dated 1975: "Suffice it to say that I wrote it in 1933, based on a fragment I overheard in the courthouse square in Murphy, N.C." (Thanks to Rufus Browning for the information). See also I Wonder as I Wander: The Life of John Jacob Niles by Ron Pen, University Press of Kentucky, 2010, pages 154-155, for a description of the development of the text.

1 Berio, Britten: "our"
2 Britten: "or’n’ry"; Rutter: "ornery"
3 Britten: "shepherds and farmers"
4 Britten: "On high from God’s heaven the star’s light did fall,"
5 Berio: "the promise of ages it then did recall."; Britten: "And the promise of the ages it did then recall." ; omitted by Rutter
6 Berio: "of"
7 Berio: "could have had it 'cause"; Britten: "could've had it for"

Researcher for this page: Jeroen Scholten

6. Song of the Thunder
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice above, 
The voice of thunder
Within the dark cloud, 
Again and again it sounds, 
The voice that beautifies the land!

The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice that beautifies the land!
The voice below, 
The voice of the grasshopper
Among the plants, 
Again and again it sounds, 
The voice that beautifies the land!

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

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7. 'Tis the Gift to be Simple
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'tis the gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed
To turn, turn will be our delight
'Till by turning, turning we come round right.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "簡樸之恩賜", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

8. Beautiful Dreamer
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Beautiful Dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "美麗的夢者", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

9. Firefly Song
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Flitting white-fire insects!
Wandering small-fire beasts!
Wave little stars about my bed!
Weave little stars into my sleep!

Sleep, little dancing white-fire bug!
Come, little flitting white-fire beast!
Light me with your white-flame magic, 
Light me with your little star-torch!

Flitting white-fire insects!
Wandering small-fire beasts!
Wave little stars about my bed!
Weave little stars into my sleep!

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

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10. The Demon Lover
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Well met, well met, my own true love
My angel, pray come with me, 
I've just return'd from the salt, salt sea, 
All for the love of thee.

If you want me to come with you, my dear, 
It would make me so very sad, 
For I am married to a house carpenter, 
And I find him a nice young lad.

Ah, will you forsake your husband, dear, 
And go along with me?
I'll take you where the grass grows green, 
By the banks of the salt, salt sea.

Well, I'd not been gone but about two weeks, 
I know it was not three, 
When I, poor lady, began to weep, 
I wept most bitterly.

Ah, why do you weep, my fair young maid?
Why are you so sad and heart-sore?
Oh, do you weep for your house carpenter, 
Who never you shall see anymore?

Well, I'd not been gone but about three weeks, 
I'm sure it was not four, 
Our gallant ship sprang a leak and sank, 
Never to rise any more.

What hills, what hills are these, my love, 
That rise so fair and high?
These are the hills of Heaven, my love, 
But not for you and I.

And what hills, what hills are those, my love, 
Those hills so dark and low?
Those are the hills of Hell, my love, 
Where you and I must go.

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

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Total word count: 1163