by Joseph Campbell (1881 - 1944), as Seosamh MacCathmhaoil
I will go with my father a‑ploughing
Language: English
I will go with my father a-ploughing To the green field by the sea, And the rooks and the crows and the seagulls Will come flocking after me. I will sing to the patient horses With the lark in the white of the air, And my father will sing the plough-song That blesses the cleaving share. I will go with my father a-sowing To the red field by the sea, And the rooks and the gulls and the starlings Will come flocking after me. I will sing to the striding sowers With the finch on the greening sloe, And my father will sing the seed-song That only the wise men know. I will go with my father a-reaping To the brown field by the sea, And the geese and the crows and the children Will come flocking after me. I will sing to the tan-faced reapers With the wren in the heat of the sun, And my father will sing the scythe song That joys for the harvest done.
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Researcher for this page: Ross Klatte
Authorship:
- by Joseph Campbell (1881 - 1944), as Seosamh MacCathmhaoil, "I will go with my father a-ploughing", appears in The Mountainy Singer, first published 1909 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "I will go with my father a-ploughing", 1921, published 1921 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Jeffreys (1927 - 2010), "I will go with my father a-ploughing" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael Mulliner (1896? - 1973), "I will go with my father a-ploughing", published 1951 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Roger Quilter (1877 - 1953), "I will go with my father a-ploughing", op. 22 no. 1 (1920), published 1921 [ low voice, optional violin and violoncello, and piano ], from Three pastoral songs, no. 1, London, Elkin [sung text checked 2 times]
Researcher for this page: Ross Klatte
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 169