We buried him high on the windy hill, But his soul went out to sea. I know, for I heard, when all was still, His sea-soul say to me: Put no tombstone at my head, For here I do not make my bed. Strew no flowers on my grave, I've gone back to the wind and wave. Do not, do not weep for me, For I am happy with my sea.
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Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Death of an old seaman", appears in The Weary Blues, first published 1926 [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 Cecil Cohen , "Death of an old seaman" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frederick Piket (1903 - 1974), "Death of an old seaman", published 1948 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Sea Charm [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-05-28
Line count: 10
Word count: 71