by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967)
Girl
Language: English
She lived in sinful happiness And died in pain. She danced in sunshine And laughed in rain. She went one summer morning When flowers spread the plain, But she told everybody She was coming back again. Folks made a coffin And hid her deep in earth. Seems like she said: My body Brings new birth. For sure there grew flowers And tall young trees And sturdy weeds and grasses To sway in the breeze. And sure she lived In growing things With no pain To laugh in sunshine And dance in rain.
Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1901 - 1967), "Girl" [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 Robert Owens (1925 - 2017), "Girl", op. 14 no. 3 [ soprano and piano ], from Heart on the Wall, no. 3, with a German translation by Erika Berghöfer-Engen  [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-10-26
Line count: 22
Word count: 93