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by Eleanor Farjeon (1881 - 1965)

Light the lamps up, lamplighter
Language: English 
Light the lamps up, lamplighter,
The people are in the street
Without a light
They have no sight,
And where will they plant their feet?
Some will tread in the gutter
And some in the mud, oh dear!
Light the lamps up, lamplighter,
Because the night is here.

Light the candles, grandmother,
The children are going to bed
Without a wick
They'll stumble and stick,
And where will they lay their head?
Some will sleep on the staircase,
And some on the hearth -- oh dear!
Light the candles, grandmother,
Because the night is here.

Light the stars up, Gabriel,
The cherubs are out to fly
If heaven is blind
How will they find
Their way across the sky?
Some will splash in the Milky Way,
Or bump on the moon, oh dear!
Light the stars up, Gabriel,
Because the night is here.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Text Authorship:

  • by Eleanor Farjeon (1881 - 1965) [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 Elizabeth Maconchy (1907 - 1994), "Light the lamps up, lamplighter", 1978, published 1979 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Four Miniatures, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-13
Line count: 27
Word count: 142

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