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Author: Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931)

Text collections / compilations [warning - not necessarily comprehensive]

General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems
The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems
The Congo and Other Poems
The Golden Whales of California

Texts set to music [warning - not necessarily comprehensive]

[x] indicates a placeholder for a text that is not yet in the database
* indicates that a text cannot (yet?) be displayed on this site because of its copyright status.

Note: titles are in bold and first lines are in italics.
A blue rectangle containing a language code such as ENG indicates the presence of a translation to that language. A grey rectangle such as FRE indicates a particular translation (usually one set to music) exists but is missing.

A Dirge For A Righteous Kitten (Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong. Here lies a kitten good, who kept) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - L. Gruenberg, E. Kettering
A fable (The mouse that gnawed the oak-tree down) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - N. Dello Joio
A Net to Snare the Moonlight (What the Man of Faith said) (The dew, the rain and moonlight)
M. Taylor: What the Man of Faith Said

Abraham Lincoln walks at midnight (It is portentious, and a thing of state) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - R. Bradley, R. Harris, E. Siegmeister, J. White
Ah, in the night, all music haunts me here. . . (from The Congo and Other Poems)
J. Harbison: The amaranth

Ah, they are passing, passing by
J. Heggie: In praise of songs that die

An Explanation of the Grasshopper (The Grasshopper, the Grasshopper) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - L. Gruenberg
Andrew Jackson was eight feet tall (from The Golden Whales of California)
J. Jarrett: The Statue of Old Andrew Jackson

Booth led boldly with his big bass drum (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems)
S. Homer: General Booth enters into Heaven
P. James, P. James: General William Booth enters into heaven
C. Ives: General William Booth enters into Heaven

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong. Here lies a kitten good, who kept (from The Congo and Other Poems)
L. Gruenberg, E. Kettering: A Dirge For A Righteous Kitten

Drying their Wings (The moon's a cottage with a door. ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
J. Heggie: What the Scarecrow Said

Euclid (Old Euclid drew a circle) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - A. Tepper, J. Heggie, G. Bachlund, E. Siegmeister
Factory windows are always broken (Factory windows are always broken)
J. Heggie: The factory window song

Factory windows are always broken
J. Heggie: The factory window song

General Booth enters into Heaven (Booth led boldly with his big bass drum) (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems) - S. Homer
General William Booth enters into Heaven (Booth led boldly with his big bass drum) (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems) - C. Ives
Girl with the burning golden eyes (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech)
J. Heggie: Prologue: Once More - To Gloriana

How Samson bore away the Gates of Gaza (Once, in a night as black as ink) - E. Maconchy
I saw a proud, mysterious cat (from The Congo and Other Poems)
L. Gruenberg, E. Kettering, D. Moore: The Mysterious Cat

In praise of songs that die (Ah, they are passing, passing by) - J. Heggie
It is portentious, and a thing of state (from The Congo and Other Poems)
R. Bradley, R. Harris, E. Siegmeister, J. White: Abraham Lincoln walks at midnight

Legree's big house was white and green (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems)
D. Moore: Simon Legree

Of crows and clusters (Two old crows sat on a fence rail) (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems) - N. Dello Joio
Old Euclid drew a circle (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
A. Tepper, J. Heggie, G. Bachlund, E. Siegmeister: Euclid

Once I loved a spider (from The Congo and Other Poems)
M. Taylor, L. Gruenberg: The Spider and the Ghost of the Fly

Once, in a night as black as ink
E. Maconchy: How Samson bore away the Gates of Gaza

Once More -- To Gloriana (Girl with the burning golden eyes) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech)
J. Heggie: Prologue: Once More - To Gloriana

Prologue: Once More - To Gloriana (Girl with the burning golden eyes) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech) - J. Heggie
Simon Legree (Legree's big house was white and green ) (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems) - D. Moore
Simon Legree -- A Negro Sermon (Legree's big house was white and green ) (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems)
D. Moore: Simon Legree

The amaranth (Ah, in the night, all music haunts me here. . .) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - J. Harbison
The dew, the rain and moonlight
M. Taylor: What the Man of Faith Said

The factory window song (Factory windows are always broken) - J. Heggie
The flower-fed buffaloes (The flower-fed buffaloes of the spring ) - J. Harbison
The flower-fed buffaloes of the spring
J. Harbison: The flower-fed buffaloes

The Grasshopper, the Grasshopper (from The Congo and Other Poems)
L. Gruenberg: An Explanation of the Grasshopper

The Haughty Snail-king (Twelve snails went walking after night. ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - J. Heggie
The Lion (The Lion is a kingly beast ) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - M. Taylor, L. Gruenberg
The Lion is a kingly beast (from The Congo and Other Poems)
M. Taylor, L. Gruenberg: The Lion

The little turtle (There was a little turtle) (from The Golden Whales of California) - J. Carpenter, H. Enders, H. Sherman, V. Weigl
The moon is but a candle-glow (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems)
J. Heggie: What the Forester said

The moon is but a golden skull
M. Taylor: What the Hyena Said

The moon? It is a griffin's egg (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
M. Taylor: What Grandpa Told the Children
J. Heggie: Yet Gentle Will the Griffin Be (What Grandpa told the children)

The moon's a brass-hooped water-keg (from The Congo and Other Poems)
M. Taylor, J. Heggie: What the Miner in the Desert Said

The moon's a cottage with a door. (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
J. Heggie: What the Scarecrow Said

The moon's a gong, hung in the wild (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
J. Heggie: What the Gray-winged Fairy Said

The moon's a little prairie-dog (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
M. Taylor, J. Heggie: What the Rattlesnake Said

The moon's a monk, unmated (from The Congo and Other Poems)
J. Heggie: The Strength of the Lonely (What the Mendicant Said)
M. Taylor: The Strength of the Lonely

The moon's a peck of corn. It lies (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems)
J. Heggie: The Old Horse in the City

The Moon's a snowball. See the drifts (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems)
J. Heggie: What the Snowman said

The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky (The Moon's the North Wind's cooky ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - E. Kettering
The Moon's the North Wind's cooky (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
J. Heggie: The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky (What the little girl said)
M. Taylor: What the Little Girl Said
E. Kettering: The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky

The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky (What the Little Girl Said) (The Moon's the North Wind's cooky ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
J. Heggie: The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky (What the little girl said)
M. Taylor: What the Little Girl Said
E. Kettering: The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky

The Moon's the North Wind's Cooky (What the little girl said) (The Moon's the North Wind's cooky ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - J. Heggie
The Mouse That Gnawed the Oak-Tree Down (The mouse that gnawed the oak-tree down) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - L. Gruenberg
The mouse that gnawed the oak-tree down (from The Congo and Other Poems)
L. Gruenberg: The Mouse That Gnawed the Oak-Tree Down
N. Dello Joio: A fable

The Mysterious Cat (I saw a proud, mysterious cat) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - L. Gruenberg, E. Kettering, D. Moore
The Old Horse in the City (The moon's a peck of corn. It lies ) (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems) - J. Heggie
The Spider and the Ghost of the Fly (Once I loved a spider ) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - M. Taylor, L. Gruenberg
The Statue of Old Andrew Jackson (Andrew Jackson was eight feet tall) (from The Golden Whales of California) - J. Jarrett
The Strength of the Lonely (The moon's a monk, unmated) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - M. Taylor
The Strength of the Lonely (What the Mendicant Said) (The moon's a monk, unmated) (from The Congo and Other Poems)
J. Heggie: The Strength of the Lonely (What the Mendicant Said)
M. Taylor: The Strength of the Lonely

The Strength of the Lonely (What the Mendicant Said) (The moon's a monk, unmated) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - J. Heggie
The sun says his prayers (The sun says his prayers, said the fairy) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - E. Kettering
The sun says his prayers, said the fairy (from The Congo and Other Poems)
E. Kettering: The sun says his prayers

There was a little turtle (from The Golden Whales of California)
J. Carpenter, H. Enders, H. Sherman, V. Weigl: The little turtle

To a golden-haired girl (You are a sunrise, if a star should rise instead of the sun ) - R. Hageman, G. McKay
To a golden-haired girl in a Louisiana town (You are a sunrise, if a star should rise instead of the sun )
R. Hageman, G. McKay: To a golden-haired girl

Twelve snails went walking after night. (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
J. Heggie: The Haughty Snail-king

Two Old Crows (Two old crows sat on a fence rail) (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems) - L. Gruenberg, E. Kettering
Two Old Crows (An exercise in stuttering for male voices) (Two old crows sat on a fence rail) (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems) - H. Enders
Two old crows sat on a fence rail (from The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems)
L. Gruenberg, E. Kettering: Two Old Crows
N. Dello Joio: Of crows and clusters
H. Enders: Two Old Crows (An exercise in stuttering for male voices)

What Grandpa Told the Children (The moon? It is a griffin's egg ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - M. Taylor
What the Forester said (The moon is but a candle-glow ) (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems) - J. Heggie
What the Gray-winged Fairy Said (The moon's a gong, hung in the wild) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - J. Heggie
What the Hyena Said (The moon is but a golden skull ) - M. Taylor
What the Little Girl Said (The Moon's the North Wind's cooky ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - M. Taylor
What the Man of Faith Said (The dew, the rain and moonlight) - M. Taylor
What the Miner in the Desert Said (The moon's a brass-hooped water-keg) (from The Congo and Other Poems) - M. Taylor, J. Heggie
What the Rattlesnake Said (The moon's a little prairie-dog ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - M. Taylor, J. Heggie
What the Scarecrow Said (The moon's a cottage with a door. ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - J. Heggie
What the Snow Man said (The Moon's a snowball. See the drifts ) (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems)
J. Heggie: What the Snowman said

What the Snowman said (The Moon's a snowball. See the drifts ) (from General William Booth Enters into Heaven and Other Poems) - J. Heggie
Yet Gentle will the Griffin be (The moon? It is a griffin's egg ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children)
M. Taylor: What Grandpa Told the Children
J. Heggie: Yet Gentle Will the Griffin Be (What Grandpa told the children)

Yet Gentle Will the Griffin Be (What Grandpa told the children) (The moon? It is a griffin's egg ) (from The Congo and Other Poems - 4. Fourth Section: Twenty Poems in which the Moon is the Principal Figure of Speech - 1. First Section: Moon Poems for the Children/Fairy-tales for the Children) - J. Heggie
You are a sunrise, if a star should rise instead of the sun
R. Hageman, G. McKay: To a golden-haired girl

[x] indicates a placeholder for a text that is not yet in the database
* indicates that a text cannot (yet?) be displayed on this site because of its copyright status.