I cannot sing tonight
Language: English
Kind lady, ask me not to sing The joys of other days; Chide not my muse, though she refuse To bask in Memory's rays. I would that all my youthful joys Could vanish from my sight; For ah! my heart is very sad: I cannot sing tonight. I cannot, I cannot, cannot sing tonight; For ah! my heart is very sad: I cannot sing tonight. Sing last we met, ten thousand joys Have faded from our view; The magic of our youth has fled, Our eyes have shed their dew. Since last we met, ten thousand griefs On me have spent their might; But ah! my heart is very sad: I cannot sing tonight. I cannot, I cannot, cannot sing tonight; For ah! my heart is very sad: I cannot sing tonight.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Stephen Collins Foster (1826 - 1864), "I cannot sing tonight", published 1852. [voice and piano] [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2015-12-26
Line count: 22
Word count: 132