by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
I hear America singing, the varied...
Language: English
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics -- each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat --
the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck;
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench -- the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter's song -- the ploughboy's, on his way in the morning,
or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother -- or of the young wife at work --
or of the girl sewing or washing -- Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day -- At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "I hear America singing", appears in Leaves of Grass, first published 1900 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Victor Bay , "Keep singing", published 1941 [ voice and piano ], note: this song sets two lines of the poem [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clark Eastham , "I hear America singing", published 1940 [ SSAATTBB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harvey Bartlett Gaul (1881 - 1945), "I hear America singing", published 1925 [ soprano, tenor, men's chorus, piano four-hands ], cantata ; arranged 1926 for SSAA chorus and piano four-hands [sung text not yet checked]
- by Irving Gertz (b. 1915), "I hear America singing", published 1959 [ SSAATBarB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stan Harte, Jr. , "I hear America singing", published 1977 [ SA chorus or TB chorus and piano ], arranged by Don McAfee [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Kleinsinger (b. 1914), "I hear America singing", published 1941 [ baritone, SATB chorus, piano or orchestra ], from I Hear America Singing [sung text not yet checked]
- by Normand Lockwood (b. 1906), published 1954 [ mixed chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lloyd Alvin Pfautsch (b. 1921), no title, published 1970 [ satb chorus a cappella ], from I hear America singing [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sam Raphling (b. 1910), "I hear America singing", published 1960 [ medium voice, chorus, and piano or orchestra ], from I hear America singing [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert B. Reed (1900 - 1968), "I hear America singing", published 1942 [ mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rick Sowash (b. 1950), "I hear America singing", 1975 [ SATB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rick Sowash (b. 1950), "I hear America singing", 1975 [ tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-05
Line count: 13
Word count: 153