Alfred Edward Housman: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Farewell to barn and stack and tree

Alfred Edward Housman

“Farewell to barn and stack and tree” as printed in A Shropshire Lad (1896).

Alfred Edward Housman: Collected Lyrics Text 9 1896 · historical text
Public domainSong lyricsVictorian song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from A Shropshire Lad, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

'Farewell to barn and stack and tree,

Farewell to Severn shore.

Terence, look your last at me,

For I come home no more.

Verse 2

'The sun burns on the half-mown hill,

By now the blood is dried;

And Maurice amongst the hay lies still

And my knife is in his side.

Verse 3

'My mother thinks us long away;

'T is time the field were mown.

She had two sons at rising day,

To-night she 'll be alone.

Verse 4

'And here 's a bloody hand to shake,

And oh, man, here's good-bye;

We 'll sweat no more on scythe and rake,

My bloody hands and I.

Verse 5

'I wish you strength to bring you pride,

And a love to keep you clean,

And I wish you luck, come Lammastide,

At racing on the green.

Verse 6

'Long for me the rick will wait,

And long will wait the fold,

And long will stand the empty plate,

And dinner will be cold.'

Credits

Written by Alfred Edward Housman

Words by Alfred Edward Housman. Historical text published in A Shropshire Lad (1896); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

A Shropshire Lad (1896), “Farewell to barn and stack and tree”

A. E. Housman (1859-1936) died more than 89 years ago; his works entered the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions in 2007, and the 1896 first edition is in the public domain in the United States. Entries credited to other hands are held unless their author died more than 70 years ago.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-27. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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