15+ Standout Poems about Singing

(15 to start, 20+ to explore)

Poems about singing capture this universal art form’s joy, expression, and power. These verses praise the human voice and its ability to convey emotions, tell stories, and connect people.

Poets often explore the transformative impact of music and singing, highlighting its capacity to uplift spirits and heal souls. These poems may portray singing as a means of self-expression, a celebration of culture, or a source of solace during challenging times.

Whether singing in solitude or in harmony with others, these poems celebrate the beauty of voices raised in song.

Poems about Singing Visual Representation

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The Singer Will Not Sing

by Maya Angelou

‘The Singer Will Not Sing’ by Maya Angelou describes a woman whose harmonies can’t escape from between her sealed lips.

Singing is at the core of this poem. The woman whom the poet focuses on is a singer who is struggling to make her harmonies a reality. They are inside her, but she doesn't know how to free them. This piece is a fantastic representation of how painful creativity (when it doesn't come easily) can be.

A benison given. Unused,

No angels promised,

wings fluttering banal lies

behind their sexlessness. No

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The Singers

by Eavan Boland

‘The Singers’ by Eavan Boland is a unique poem that discusses the act of finding joy and expression in the midst of adversity.

Singing is critical in this piece by Eavan Boland. The poet describes the women as singers and features the inspiration for their songs throughout the poem. They are able to use the danger of their surroundings in an inspirational way.

The women who were singers in the West

lived on an unforgiving coast.

I want to ask was there ever one

moment when all of it relented--

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The Shout

by Federico García Lorca

‘The Cry’ by Federico García Lorca is a moving poem that illustrates the mystic but immensely tangible effect that song can have on the individual.

Unsurprisingly, the central topic of the poem is the galvanizing sound emitted by its anonymous singer. Their voice communicates a wide spectrum of passionate emotions and inspire from Lorca himself some truly sublime imagery. Which he uses to illustrate the verdant and vibrant effects on the soul that such a voice can have.

The ellipse of a cry

travels from mountain

to mountain.

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That Music Always Round Me

by Walt Whitman

‘That Music Always Round Me’ by Walt Whitman is a beautiful poem that melds together the poet’s democratic worldview with a rapt appreciation for individual beauty.

Singing goes hand in hand with the music that the speaker hears in Walt Whitman's poem. The speaker hears both and is enthralled by the many different voices they hear. Much like his famous poem 'I Hear America Singing,' this poem uses the auditory imagery of song to create this sublime and triumphant image of humanity.

That music always round me, unceasing, unbeginning, yet long untaught I did not hear,

But now the chorus I hear and am elated,

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Upon Julia’s Voice

by Robert Herrick

‘Upon Julia’s Face’ by Robert Herrick is beautiful poem that tries to capture the speaker’s adoration for the voice of a woman they love and admire.

The central subject of the poem is Julia's voice, and the speaker's core illustration of it is through song. The entire scene of the poem revolves around them listening in secret to her singing, which completely enraptures them with its beauty. There is something timeless about this expression of enchantment through the musicality of a person's voice.

So smooth, so sweet, so silv'ry is thy voice

As, could they hear, the damn'd would make no noise,

But listen to thee, walking in thy chamber,

Melting melodious words to lutes of amber.

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The Way to Sing

by Helen Hunt Jackson

‘The Way to Sing’ by Helen Hunt Jackson is a touching poem that gleans an altruistic purpose in the music shared by birds.

Jackson's deep reverence for music as an art that provides solace is evident throughout the poem. The opening four lines, which are repeated at the end of the poem, stress that it isn't just birdsong that should be given freely. Instead, they proclaim that anyone who chooses to sing would be wise to follow the example of the birds.

The birds must know. Who wisely sings

Will sing as they;

The common air has generous wings.

Songs make their way.

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I Hear America Singing

by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman’s poetic prose, ‘I hear America Singing’, free-flows with vibrancy, energy, and sheer respect for working class members of America.

Singing appears in almost every line and serves as both the title and the poem’s guiding image. It is not just literal singing but a symbol of expression, voice, and freedom. Each person sings in a way that fits who they are, creating a rhythm that carries through the whole piece. This makes singing more than just a repeated word. It becomes a celebration of being alive and proud while going through daily work.

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,

Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,

The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,

The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,

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The Darkling Thrush

by Thomas Hardy

In Hardy’s ‘The Darkling Thrush,’ a desolate winter landscape symbolizes the decline of human civilization, while a Thrush song imbues hope for the future.

Many a dreary poem has been rescued by the sublime music of a solitary bird. Song, like poetry, serves as a powerful means by which to assuage the heart and soul. Much of the imagery in the second half of Hardy's poem is devoted to articulating the beauty and hope conveyed by its "ecstatic sound."

I leant upon a coppice gate

When Frost was spectre-grey,

And Winter's dregs made desolate

The weakening eye of day.

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Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)

by William Blake

William Blake’s poem, ‘Holy Thursday,’ was first published in 1789. It was included in a poetry collection called ‘Songs of Innocence’.

The children’s singing is one of the most powerful parts of the poem. Their voices fill the cathedral with a sound that is described as mighty and even heavenly. This singing is a way for them to express their joy, innocence, and hope, despite their hardships. Blake shows us how singing brings people together and gives the children a moment of strength and unity. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of music.

‘Twas on a holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,

The children walking two and two in red and blue and green:

Grey-headed beadles walked before, with wands as white as snow,

Till into the high dome of Paul’s they like Thames waters flow.

#10

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Clear and Gentle Stream

by Robert Bridges

‘Clear and Gentle Stream’ reminisces by a stream, blending nostalgia with the tranquil flow of cherished memories.

The speaker talks about singing an old song he once knew, which he calls his lament. He sings it again at the stream, almost as if offering it to the water. The act of singing is simple but meaningful. It is tied to his dreams, his past self, and his need to feel at home again. Singing becomes a way to express what words cannot fully capture, giving it an emotional place in the poem.

Clear and gentle stream !

Known and loved so long,

That hast heard the song,

And the idle dream

#11

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Birth Dance Of The Child Front

by Gabriel Okara

The fourth poem of ‘The Fisherman’s Invocation’ discusses how people can be brought together through their traditions.

Singing and dancing are important parts of this poem. As well as showing an aspect of the people's heritage, they show the sense of celebration and unity among the people. Okara discusses the way in which people should match their singing to the rhythm, a metaphor for the way in which he wants the people to find this unity.

Let's dance with feet

that yesterday knows

and sing with voice

that breaks into tomorrow

#12

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One For Sorrow

by Anonymous

‘One For Sorrow’ it’s an old English nursery rhyme that playfully interprets magpies (a type of bird) as signs of the future.

The poem’s rhythm and repetitive elements might remind one of a song or a chant. The way it uses the appearance of magpies to convey messages can be seen as akin to singing rhymes or songs. This reflects how the poem’s structure and style can evoke the musicality and joy found in singing. The use of magpies creates a rhythmic pattern similar to that found in songs and chants.

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

#13

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Songs for the People

by Frances Harper

‘Songs for the People’ is a poem that espouses a hopeful belief in music’s ability to bring peace both to individuals and the world around them.

Another topic important to this poem is singing: Harper uses a song as a symbol of healing and human solidarity. This music is meant to benefit those who've suffered unjustly and are often forgotten. Yet the speaker sees in these people the root of the world's inability to find or sustain any lasting peace.

Let me make the songs for the people,

Songs for the old and young;

Songs to stir like a battle-cry

Wherever they are sung.

#14

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A Crowned Poet

by Anne Reeve Aldrich

‘A Crowned Poet’ by Anne Reeve Aldrich describes the various types of happiness that exist in the world and how different they can be from one another.

In thy coach of state

Pass, O King, along:

He no envy feels

To whom God giveth song.

#15

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A River

by A. K. Ramanujan

‘A River’ by A.K. Ramanujan focuses on the Madurai River, how it has been depicted by poets throughout time, and brings the suffering that exists along its banks to the reader’s attention.

In Madurai,

city of temples and poets,

who sang of cities and temples,

every summer

Home » Collection » Poems about Singing

15+ Standout Poems about Singing

(15 to start, 20+ to explore)

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Poetry+

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15+ Standout Poems about Singing

(15 to start, 20+ to explore)

by Maya Angelou

by Eavan Boland

by Federico García Lorca

by Walt Whitman

by Robert Herrick

by Helen Hunt Jackson

by Walt Whitman

by Thomas Hardy

by William Blake

by Robert Bridges

by Gabriel Okara

by Anonymous

by Frances Harper

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