JourneySong: The Vagabond by Ralph Vaughn Williams

Here's a classical music composition by noted English composer Ralph Vaughan-Williams called 'The Vagabond". The song is part of a song cycle called Songs of Travel. It's performed by tenor Lim Shieh Yih from Singapore and Dr. Pei Chi Hong from Taiwan on the piano.

Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above,
And the byway nigh me.
Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river -
There’s the life for a man like me,
There’s the life for ever.

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o’er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above,
And the road below me.

Or let autumn fall on me
Where afield I linger,
Silencing the bird on tree,
Biting the blue finger.
White as meal the frosty field -
Warm the fireside haven -
Not to autumn will I yield,
Not to winter even!

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o’er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I ask, the heaven above,
And the road below me.

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JourneySongs is a regular feature on the GoAbroad blog where we share videos of songs that help us discover and celebrate our world. Do you have a favorite JourneySong you'd like to share or have us feature? Just give us  a link to the video you'd like to see featured and tell us why in the comments section below!

Tagged as: Asia, British Isles, England, English language, Europe, gap year, Great Britain, JourneySongs, music, music videos, Singapore, Taiwan, world music