Song Cycle by George Sainton Kaye Butterworth (1885-1916)

1. Bredon Hill

Authorship

by Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936) , "Bredon Hill", from A Shropshire Lad, no. 21, published 1896

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In summertime on Bredon
The bells they sound so clear;
Round both the shires they ring them
In steeples far and near,
A happy noise to hear.

Here of a Sunday morning
My love and I would lie,
And see the coloured counties,
And hear the larks so high
About us in the sky.

The bells would ring to call her 
In valleys miles away;
"Come all to church, good people;
Good people come and pray."
But here my love would stay.

And I would turn and answer
Among the springing thyme,
"Oh, peal upon our wedding,
And we will hear the chime,
And come to church in time."

But when the snows at Christmas
On Bredon top were strown,
My love rose up so early
And stole out unbeknown
And went to church alone.

They tolled the one bell only,
Groom there was none to see,
The mourners followed after,
And so to church went she,
And would not wait for me.

The bells they sound on Bredon,
And still the steeples hum,
"Come all to church, good people." -
O noisy bells, be dumb;
I hear you, I will come.

2. Oh fair enough are sky and plain

Authorship

by Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936) , no title, from A Shropshire Lad, no. 20, published 1896

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Oh fair enough are sky and plain,
But I know fairer far:
Those are as beautiful again
That in the water are;

The pools and rivers wash so clean
The trees and clouds and air,
The like on earth was never seen,
And oh that I were there.

These are the thoughts I often think
As I stand gazing down
In act upon the cressy brink
To strip and dive and drown;

But in the golden sanded brooks
And azure meres I spy
A silly lad that longs and looks
And wishes he were I.

3. When the lad for longing sighs

Authorship

by Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936) , no title, from A Shropshire Lad, no. 6, published 1896

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When the lad for longing sighs,
 Mute and dull of cheer and pale,
If at death's own door he lies,
 Maiden, you can heal his ail.

Lovers' ills are all to buy:
 The wan look, the hollow tone,
The hung head, the sunken eye,
 You can have them for your own.

Buy them, buy them: even and morn
 Lovers' ills are all to sell,
Then you can lie down forlorn;
 But the lover will be well.

4. On the idle hill of summer

Authorship

by Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936) , no title, from A Shropshire Lad, no. 35, published 1896

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On the idle hill of summer,
Sleepy with the flow of streams,
Far I hear the steady drummer
Drumming like a noise in dreams.

Far and near and low and louder,
On the roads of earth go by,
Dear to friends and food for powder,
Soldiers marching, all to die.

East and west on fields forgotten
Bleach the bones of comrades slain,
Lovely lads and dead and rotten;
None that go return again.

Far the calling bugles hollo,
High the screaming fife replies,
Gay the files of scarlet follow;
Woman bore me, I will rise.

5. With rue my heart is laden

Authorship

by Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936) , no title, from A Shropshire Lad, no. 54, published 1896

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With rue my heart is laden
 For golden friends I had,
For many a rose-lipt maiden
 And many a lightfood lad.

By brooks too broad for leaping
 The lightfoot boys are laid;
The rose-lipt girls are sleeping 
 In fields where roses fade.

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