Ballad

Spring it is cheery,
Winter is dreary,
Green leaves hang, but the brown must fly;
When he's forsaken,
Withered and shaken,
What can an old man do but die?

Love will not clip him,
Maids will not lip him,
Maud and Marian pass him by;
Youth it is sunny,
Age has no honey, --
What can an old man do but die?

June it was jolly,
O for its folly!
A dancing leg and a laughing eye;
Youth may be silly,
Wisdom is chilly, --
What can an old man do but die?

Friends they are scanty,
Beggars are plenty,
If he has followers, I know why;
Gold's in his clutches,
(Buying him crutches!) --
What can an old man do but die?

by Thomas Hood (1799-1845) , "Ballad", from The Plea of the Midsummer Fairies, Hero and Leander, Lycus the Centaur, and Other Poems, published 1827

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) Houston Bright (1916-1970) , "What can an old man do?", published <<1969. [SATB a cappella]
by Joseph (or Josef) Charles Holbrooke (1878-1958) , "Spring is cheery", published 1903. [SATB and piano ad lib]
by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) , "Spring it is cheery", 1895. [six-part chorus (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass) a cappella]

Date added to the website: 2008-01-10.

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