A Lyric Canon for ENGL 5324

back to the syllabus

These are the central primary texts for our course this semester, though the primary material is by no means limited to these lyrics. Page numbers refer to the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, 2nd edition, eds. Ellmann & O'Clair. Basically, read everything here, especially including the "song" lyrics, which you should read in the same way you read the lyric "poetry." All writers are arranged here by date of birth.

By each writer's name, I have linked to an informational site. Many of these links go to the Composers and Lyricists Database at http://64.33.34.112/.CAL/index.html. You can hear some songs at http://www.angelfire.com/dbz/jd/jazzmusic.htm and at its sister site http://jdhay1.tripod.com/jazzmusic.htm. Lyrics associated with Billie Holiday are available at http://www.ladyday.net/song/songs.html.

Props to Todd Peach, without whom this page, and maybe this course, would hardly be possible.

• HARDY, all 69-87
• HOPKINS, all except "The Wreck of the Deutschland"; read 91-93, 101-108
• WILDE, all 113-121
• HOUSMAN, all 124-133
• YEATS, all 138-188
• KIPLING, "The Way through the Woods" 200, "The Storm Cone" 204
• ROBINSON, all 212-225
• HARBACH, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
• FROST, all except "The Witch of Coös"; read 245-251, 255-268
• E. THOMAS, all 275-279
• STEVENS, "The Snow Man" 289, "A Postcard from the Volcano" 293
• JOYCE, "Though I Thy Mithridates Were," "Ecce Puer" 308
• LAWRENCE, "Piano" 358
• G. KAHN, "It Had To Be You," "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else"
• M. ANDERSON, "September Song"
• BERLIN, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/berlin/, "He Ain't Got Rhythm"
• McKAY, all 517-519
• DUBIN, "I Only Have Eyes For You"
• PORTER, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/cole/
• MILLAY, all 525-528
• PARKER, all http://users.rcn.com/lyndanyc/sections.html, "I Wished on the Moon"
• CUMMINGS, all 549-562
• KOEHLER, "Let's Fall in Love," "Stormy Weather"
• GRAVES, all 567-577
• I. GERSHWIN, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/gershwin/
• HAMMERSTEIN, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/hammerstein/
• HART, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/rodgershart/
• HARBURG, "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Over the Rainbow"
• RAZAF, "Memories of You", "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Honeysuckle Rose"
• DIETZ, "Dancing in the Dark"
• H. CRANE, "To Emily Dickinson" 621
• lyricists associated with DUKE ELLINGTON, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/duke/
• PARISH, "Stars Fell on Alabama," "Star Dust," "Deep Purple"
• WASHINGTON, "When You Wish Upon a Star"
• HUGHES, all 647-652
• CULLEN, all 661-665
• KAHAL, "I'll Be Seeing You"
• GORDON, "I Had the Craziest Dream," "There Will Never Be Another You," "One Never Knows, Does One?"
• KAVANAGH, all 677-682
• FIELDS, "A Fine Romance," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "I Won't Dance," "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Lovely to Look At," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "The Way You Look Tonight"
• BETJEMAN, "A Subaltern's Love Song" 720
• AUDEN, all 734-755
• MacNEICE, all 766-776
• J. BURKE, "Here's that Rainy Day," "Misty"
• ROETHKE, all 777-787
• MERCER, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/mercer/, "Mandy is Two"
• BISHOP, "The Armadillo" 824, "One Art" 829
• MILES, all except "Fields of Learning"; read 831-835
• KITCHINGS, "I'm Pulling Through," "Some Other Spring"
• S. CAHN, all http://www.thepeaches.com/music/composers/cahn/, "You're a Lucky Guy"
• JARRELL, "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" 902
• D. THOMAS, all 919-927
• STRAYHORN, "Lush Life"
• BROOKS, first four poems 974-976
• LARKIN, all 1058-1071
• LEIGH, "Young at Heart," "How Little It Matters," "Witchcraft"