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My bed is like a little boat; Nurse helps me in when I embark; She girds me in my sailor's coat And starts me in the dark. At night, I go on board and say Good night to all my friends on shore; I shut my eyes and sail away And see and hear no more. And sometimes things to bed I take, As prudent sailors have to do: Perhaps a slice of wedding-cake, Perhaps a toy or two. All night across the dark we steer: But when the day returns at last, Safe in my room, beside the pier, I find my vessel fast.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894), "My bed is a boat", appears in A Child's Garden of Verses, first published 1885 [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 Harry Brook (1893 - ?), "My bed is a boat", published 1930 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonio Giacometti (b. 1957), "My bed is a boat", 2005 [ baritone and piano ], from Seven Stevenson Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Wallace Gilchrist (1846 - 1916), "My bed is a boat", published 1897 [ voice and piano ], from The Stevenson Song-Book [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cecilia (Cissie) Loftus , "My bed is like a little boat", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Gerald) Graham Peel (1878 - 1937), "My bed is a boat", published 1910 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marvin Radnor , "My bed is a boat", published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Teresa del Riego (c1876 - 1968), "My bed is a boat", published 1909 [ voice and piano ], from Children's pictures [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "My bed is a boat", published 1911 [ voice and piano ], from The Twins' Tune Book, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Percy Purvis Turnbull (b. 1902), "My bed is a boat", published c1925 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson (1931 - 2003), "My bed is a boat", published 1968 [ high voice and piano ], from From a child's garden, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Montanari) , "Il mio letto è una nave", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 105
Il mio letto è come una piccola nave; la tata mi aiuta ad imbarcarmi mi mette la mia divisa da marinaio e mi spinge nel buio. Di notte, vado a bordo e dico buonanotte a tutti i miei amici a riva; chiudo gli occhi e prendo il largo e non vedo e non sento più. A volte mi porto delle cose a letto, come devono fare i marinai previdenti, magari un pezzo di torta, magari un gioco o due. Tutta notte navighiamo nel buio. ma quando arriva il giorno alla fine Sano e salvo nella mia stanza, vicino al molo, ritrovo il mio vascello all'ancora.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2010 by Paolo Montanari, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894), "My bed is a boat", appears in A Child's Garden of Verses, first published 1885
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-05
Line count: 16
Word count: 105