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Ballad of Dead Friends Lyrics by Edwin Arlington Robinson

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As we the withered ferns
By the roadway lying,
Time, the jester, spurns
All our prayers and prying—
All our tears and sighing,
Sorrow, change, and woe—
All our where-and-whying
For friends that come and go.
Life awakes and burns.
Age and death defying,
Till at last it learns
All but Love is dying;
Love’s the trade we’re plying,
God has willed it so;
Shrouds are what we’re buying
For friends that come and go.
Man forever yearns
For the thing that ’s flying.
Everywhere he turns,
Men to dust are drying,—
Dust that wanders, eyeing
(With eyes that hardly glow)
New faces, dimly spying
For friends that come and go.
ENVOY
And thus we all are nighing
The truth we fear to know:
Death will end our crying
For friends that come and go.

About “Ballad of Dead Friends” by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Read the complete lyrics to "Ballad of Dead Friends" by Edwin Arlington Robinson. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Ballad of Dead Friends" is performed by Edwin Arlington Robinson. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Ballad of Dead Friends", explore more songs by Edwin Arlington Robinson using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Ballad of Dead Friends" is credited to Edwin Arlington Robinson. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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Visit the Edwin Arlington Robinson artist page at /artist/edwin-arlington-robinson for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.