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A Cycle of Cities

Song Cycle by Elie Siegmeister (1909 - 1991)

?. Life is fine  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love --
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry --
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine! 

Text Authorship:

  • by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Life is fine", appears in One-Way Ticket, first published 1949

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Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

?. Fortune has its cookies

Language: English 
Fortune has its cookies to give out
 . . . . . . . . . .

— The rest of this text is not
currently in the database but will be
added as soon as we obtain it. —

Text Authorship:

  • by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919 - 2021), appears in Pictures of the Gone World, first published 1955, copyright ©

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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.

?. Big fat hairy vision of Evil  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
1/
 [ ... ]

Text Authorship:

  • by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919 - 2021), "Big fat hairy vision of Evil", appears in Starting from San Francisco, first published 1967, copyright ©

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This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.

?. Childhood Memories
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Mama remembers the four-leaf clover
And the bright blue Irish sky,
I remember East River Parkway
And the tugboats passing by.
I remember Third Avenue
And the "L" trains overhead,
And our one window-sill geranium
Blooming red, warm and red.
Mama remembers Ireland;
All I remember is here.

Papa remembers the plains of Poland
And moonlight on the snow,
I remember autumn
With the skyscrapers all aglow.
I remember the games we played
With lamplight overhead,
And our one window-sill geranium
Blooming red, warm and red.

All I remember is here
This house, this street, this city,
And it's dear, yes, it's dear!

Text Authorship:

  • by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967)

Go to the general single-text view

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Researcher for this page: Leonard Lehrman
Total word count: 838
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