Like many songs by Shakespeare, a lot of the material in this song is borrowed from other sources. The original tune was no doubt based on a folk song of the day, and the words themselves, are a paraphrase (or some might say “mis-quotation” ) of a famous poem by Sir Christopher Marlowe, The Passionate Shepherd To His Love, which many people have studied in school. Ironically, Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare, a master playwright in his own right, and one of his rivals. They most likely new each other. The song is sung by the character Sir Hugh Evans. I have taken my own liberties with the song. I modernized “peds”, the Welsh pronunciation of “beds”. I also dropped the second verse, which is almost the same but lacks cohesion, as it is interrupted by dialogue, and added a “fa la la la la” fantasy section to spice things up a little and add more musical interest. No other lyrics have been altered, but the interupted “to shallow” has been repeated, to carve out a refrain. The most significant change has been in the choice of singer. I felt the song would benefit from a young child singer, given its happy nature.
Performed by: Divine
Sheet Music by Special Request
Choral Music Version SATB also Available for Choirs
VERSE 1
To shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
There will we make our beds of roses,
And a thousand fragrant posies.
REFRAIN
To shallow, to shallow, to shallow.
To shallow, to shallow, to shallow.
VERSE 2
To shallow rivers, to whose falls
melodious birds sing madrigals.
There will we make our beds of roses,
And a thousand fragrant posies. (to refrain)
Fa la la la la….
Repeat Chorus. Repeat Verse 1. Key Change. Repeat Chorus.