Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Soap Suds Lyrics by Louis MacNeice

0

This brand of soap has the same smell as once in the big
House he visited when he was eight: the walls of the bathroom open
To reveal a lawn where a great yellow ball rolls back through a hoop
To rest at the head of a mallet held in the hands of a child.
And these were the joys of that house: a tower with a telescope;
Two great faded globes, one of the earth, one of the stars;
A stuffed black dog in the hall; a walled garden with bees;
A rabbit warren; a rockery; a vine under glass; the sea.
To which he has now returned. The day of course is fine
And a grown-up voice cries Play! The mallet slowly swings,
Then crack, a great gong booms from the dog-dark hall and the ball
Skims forward through the hoop and then through the next and then
Through hoops where no hoops were and each dissolves in turn
And the grass has grown head-high and an angry voice cries Play!
But the ball is lost and the mallet slipped long since from the hands
Under the running tap that are not the hands of a child.
From Louis MacNeice (1964) “Soap Suds.” In Selected Poems of Louis MacNeice, Edited by W.H. Auden, Faber & Faber, 1964. Reprinted with permission.
Credits
Louis MacNeice

Louis MacNeice

About “Soap Suds” by Louis MacNeice

Read the complete lyrics to "Soap Suds" by Louis MacNeice. 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.

"Soap Suds" is performed by Louis MacNeice. 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 "Soap Suds", explore more songs by Louis MacNeice 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.

View all songs and biography for Louis MacNeice · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Soap Suds" is credited to Louis MacNeice. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Soap Suds" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Louis MacNeice artist page at /artist/louis-macneice for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.