Time will say nothing but I told you so, Time only knows the price we have to pay; If I could tell you I would let you know. If we should weep when clowns put on their show, If we should stumble when musicians play, Time will say nothing but I told you so. There are no fortunes to be told, although, Because I love you more than I can say, If I could tell you I would let you know. The winds must come from somewhere when the blow, There must be reasons why the leaves decay; Time will say nothing but I told you so. Perhaps the roses really want to grow, The vision seriously intends to stay; If I could tell you I would let you know. Suppose the lions all get up and go, And all the brooks and soldiers run away; Will Time say nothing but I told you so? If I could tell you I would let you know.
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Text 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 Rudolf Escher (1912 - 1980), "If I could tell you", 1975, from Three poems by W.H. Auden, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "If I could tell you", 1992, first performed 1995 [ baritone and piano ], from Death's Echo -- 5 songs for Baritone and Piano, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Jeroen Scholten
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 165