Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone

Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone

Original Text
Robert Louis Stevenson, Songs of Travel (London: Chatto & Windus, 1896). end S749 S65 1896 Fisher Rare Book Library
1Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
2    Say, could that lad be I?
3Merry of soul he sailed on a day
7Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
8    Where is that glory now?
9Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
10    Say, could that lad be I?
11Merry of soul he sailed on a day
12    Over the sea to Skye.
13Give me again all that was there,
14    Give me the sun that shone!
15Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
16    Give me the lad that's gone!
17Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
18    Say, could that lad be I?
19Merry of soul he sailed on a day
20    Over the sea to Skye.
21Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
22    Mountains of rain and sun,
23All that was good, all that was fair,
24    All that was me is gone.

Notes

4] Skye: one of the inner Hebrides, islands off Scotland. Back to Line
5] Mull and Rum are islands near Skye. Mull is also mulled (spicy, sweetened, heated) wine. Back to Line
6] Eigg: island near Skye. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1895
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2003
Rhyme