Paul Laurence Dunbar: Collected Lyrics
89 / 142
Public-domain lyrics

Song of Summer

Paul Laurence Dunbar

“Song of Summer” as printed in The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (1913).

Paul Laurence Dunbar: Collected Lyrics Text 89 1913 · historical text
Public domainSong lyricsDialect song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Dis is gospel weathah sho'—

Hills is sawt o' hazy.

Meddahs level ez a flo'

Callin' to de lazy.

Sky all white wif streaks o' blue,

Sunshine softly gleamin',

D'ain't no wuk hit 's right to do,

Nothin' 's right but dreamin'.

Verse 2

Dreamin' by de rivah side

Wif de watahs glist'nin',

Feelin' good an' satisfied

Ez you lay a-list'nin'

To the little nakid boys

Splashin' in de watah,

Hollerin' fu' to spress deir joys

Jes' lak youngsters ought to.

Verse 3

Squir'l a-tippin' on his toes,

So's to hide an' view you;

Whole flocks o' camp-meetin' crows

Shoutin' hallelujah.

Peckahwood erpon de tree

Tappin' lak a hammah;

Jaybird chattin' wif a bee,

Tryin' to teach him grammah.

Verse 4

Breeze is blowin' wif perfume,

Jes' enough to tease you;

Hollyhocks is all in bloom,

Smellin' fu' to please you.

Go 'way, folks, an' let me 'lone,

Times is gettin' dearah—

Summah's settin' on de th'one,

An' I'm a-layin' neah huh!

Credits

Written by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Words by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Historical text published in The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (1913); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (1913), “Song of Summer”

Every text in this collected edition is by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906); his works entered the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions in 1977, and the 1913 edition is in the public domain in the United States. The edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination.

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.
Keep tracing

More from Paul Laurence Dunbar: Collected Lyrics.

01A Banjo SongPublic-domain lyrics02A Boy's Summer SongPublic-domain lyrics03A ChoicePublic-domain lyrics04A ConfidencePublic-domain lyrics