Page:The Riverside song book.djvu/93

 WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE.

George Pope Morris.

Andante.

1. Woodman, spare that tree, Touch not a sin - gle bough!

2. That old fa - mil - iar tree, Whose glo - ry and re - nown

3. When but an i - dle boy, I sought its grate - ful shade

4. My heart-strings round thee cling Close as thy bark, old friend;

In youth it shel - tered me, And I'll pro-tect it now.

Are spread o'er land and sea - And would'st thou hew it down?

In all their gush-ing joy Here, too, my sis - ters played.

Here shall the wild-bird sing, And still thy branch-es bend.

'Twas my fore - fa - ther's hand That placed it near his cot;

Wood- man, for - bear thy stroke. Cut not its earth - bound ties!

My mother kissed me here; My fa - ther press'd my hand&mdash;

Old tree, the storm still brave! And, wood - man, leave the spot;

Then, wood-man, let it stand, Thy axe shall harm it not.

Oh, spare that a - ged oak Now tow'r-ing to the skies!

For - give this fool-ish tear, But let the old oak stand.

While I've a hand to save, Thy axe shall harm it not.