Sing Me a Song [poem by John O’Brien, 1954]

[Editor: This poem by John O’Brien was published in The Parish of St Mel’s and Other Verses, 1954.]

Sing Me a Song

Sing me a song with the ring of truth in it,
Sing me a song with the freshness of youth in it,
Chant me a paean of joy;
I’m tired of the dirge with regrets and despair in it,
Life has too much of drab sorrow and care in it,
Raise me a chorus with hopefulness rare in it,
Plucked from the heart of a boy.

Give me the splash and the shout of the sea in it,
The trebles of birds and the bass of the bee in it:
Bring the spring’s minstrels along,
Trilling a lay with the zest of young life in it,
Tender and clean with no heartache of strife in it:
Send me a message with joyfulness rife in it,
And the singer I’ll love for the song.

Published in:
John O’Brien. The Parish of St Mel’s and Other Verses, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1954