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Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun Lyrics by Roy Harris

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Give me the splendid silent sun, with all his beams full-dazzling;
Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the orchard;
Give me a field where the unmow'd grass grows;
Give me an arbor, give me the trellis'd grape;
Give me fresh corn and wheat -- give me serene-moving animals, teaching content;
Give me nights perfectly quiet, as on high plateaus west of the Mississippi
And I looking up at the stars;
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers
Where I can walk undisturb'd;
Give me for marriage a sweet-breath'd woman, of whom I should never tire;
Give me a perfect child-- give me, away, aside from the noise of the world
A rural, domestic life;
Give me to warble spontaneous songs, reliev'd, recluse by myself
For my own ears only;
Give me solitude -- give me Nature -- give me again, O Nature, your primal sanities!
-- These, demanding to have them, (tired with ceaseless excitement
And rack'd by the war-strife;)
These to procure, incessantly asking, rising in cries from my heart
While yet incessantly asking, still I adhere to my city;
Day upon day, and year upon year, O city, walking your streets
Where you hold me enchain'd a certain time, refusing to give me up;
Yet giving to make me glutted, enrich'd of soul -- you give me forever faces;
(O I see what I sought to escape, confronting, reversing my cries;
I see my own soul trampling down what it ask'd for.)
Keep your splendid, silent sun;
Keep your woods, O Nature, and the quiet places by the woods;
Keep your fields of clover and timothy, and your corn-fields and orchards;
Keep the blossoming buckwheat fields, where the Ninth-month bees hum;
Give me faces and streets! give me these phantoms incessant
And endless along the trottoirs!
Give me interminable eyes! give me women! give me comrades and lovers by the thousand!
Let me see new ones every day! let me hold new ones by the hand every day!
Give me such shows! give me the streets of Manhattan!
Give me Broadway, with the soldiers marching -- give me
The sound of the trumpets and drums!
(The soldiers in companies or regiments -- some, starting away
Flush'd and reckless;
Some, their time up, returning, with thinn'd ranks -- young
Yet very old, worn, marching, noticing nothing;)
-- Give me the shores and the wharves heavy-fringed with the black ships!
O such for me! O an intense life! O full to repletion, and varied!
The life of the theatre, bar-room, huge hotel, for me!
The saloon of the steamer! the crowded excursion for me! the torch-light procession!
The dense brigade, bound for the war, with high piled military wagons following;
People, endless, streaming, with strong voices, passions, pageants;
Manhattan streets, with their powerful throbs, with the beating drums, as now;
The endless and noisy chorus, the rustle and clank of muskets
(even the sight of the wounded;)
Manhattan crowds, with their turbulent musical chorus -- with varied chorus
And light of the sparkling eyes;
Manhattan faces and eyes forever for me
Credits
Roy Harris

Roy Harris

About “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun” by Roy Harris

Read the complete lyrics to "Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun" by Roy Harris. 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 Pop.

"Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun" is performed by Roy Harris. 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 "Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun", explore more songs by Roy Harris 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

"Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun" is credited to Roy Harris. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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