The market (Stephens, set by C. Gibbs) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


A man came to me at the fair 
And said, "If you've a poet's tongue 
Tumble up and chant the air 
That the stars of morning sung. 

"I'll pay you, if you sing it nice, 
A penny-piece." -- I answered flat, 
"Sixpence is the proper price 
For a ballad such as that." 

But he stared and wagged his head, 
Growling as he passed along, 
"Sixpence! well, I'll see you dead 
Before I pay that for a song." 

I saw him buy three pints of stout 
With the sixpence -- dirty lout !

Authorship

James Stephens (1882-1950)

Songs from the Clay

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960)

Date added to the website: 2009-01-22.

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