quote · Legacy record
A singer sang a song of tears, And the great world heard and wept For the song of the sorrows of fleeting years, And the hopes which the dead past kept: And souls in anguish their burdens bore, And the world was sadder than ever before. A singer sang a song of cheer, And the great world listened and smiled, For he sang of the love of a Father dear And the trust of a little child; And souls that before had forgotten to pray, Looked up and went singing along the way.
A singer sang a song of tears, And the great world heard and wept For the song of the sorrows of fleeting years, And the hopes which the dead past kept: And souls in anguish their burdens bore, And the world was sadder than ever before. A singer sang a song of cheer, And the great world listened and smiled, For he sang of the love of a Father dear And the trust of a little child; And souls that before had forgotten to pray, Looked up and went singing along the way.
In print by 1911 AD · modern
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Emma C. Dowd
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1911 AD · modern
In print by 1911: recorded in The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911) (1911 AD)
Complete signed selection 192; printed byline: Emma C. Dowd; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1911; printed copyright 1907
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.