Those who read the links on my web site might wonder about the title. Yes, I do sing because I love to sing but there is more.
As a child, I often woke in the morning to hear my Father singing. He had a good singing voice although considered himself to be a ‘Good Bathroom singer’. There was one song which he remembered from his schooldays which he often sang. The words were:
“I sing because I love to sing,
Because Instinctive fancies move;
Because it hurts no earthly thing,
Because it pleases those I love”.
If anyone reading this web site knows this song, I would be very interested to know where it originated and who composed it.
Anne Wilkins.
As I care for my Mom with advanced demensia I remember beautiful times just months ago when she could move and speak. One of the last songs she sang when I asked her to – in the most lovely singing voice … was this one. Here is what I am remembering, in case it is different from yours slightly, though I could easily be mistaken as I didn’t jot down the verses and things got mixed up toward the end of my Mom’s lovely singing.:
I sing because I love to sing;
because it pleases one I love
because it hurts no earthly thing
because it pleases one I love…
I cry to think of this song and wish I coulf have the original for her now as we now are in a world of silence and usually closed eyes except what I can bring and this song, plus a couple of others that might have been contemporary to it, “Sonny Boy” I remember at the moment…
Please let me know if you’ve learned anything.
I sang this song in a children’s choir in Ottawa in 1980. I am looking for the music, too. If you find anything, do please let me know, and I too will keep searching. By searching Google I’ve found this poem, written by George Spencer Cautley and published in the collection *The Afterglow; Songs and Sonnets for my Friends* in 1869.
REASONS FOR WRITING VERSES.
I SING because I love to sing,
Because instinctive fancies move;
Because it hurts no earthly thing,
Because it pleases some I love.
Because it cheats night’s weary hours,
Because it cheers the brightest day,
Because, like prayer and light and flowers.
It helps me on my heavenly way.
Because with peals of happy words
I would exorcise morbid care;
Because a touch of deeper chords
May tune a heart to love and prayer.
Because all sounds of human fate
Within my heart an echo find;
Because whate’er is good or great
Lets loose the music of my mind.
Because above the changing skies
The Spirit saith good angels sing;
Because wherever sunshine lies
The woods and waves with music ring.
Because amid earth’s Babel noise
All happy things that go or come
Give to their grateful hearts a voice;
Then why should I alone be dumb?
(see http://books.google.ca/books?id=PF4CAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=%22I+sing+because+I+love+to+sing+because+instinctive+fancies+move%22&source=bl&ots=KAHlst9Og-&sig=DoG7pcK7hfiGltbRVoFOlFBunAc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cM-8UO2IBemgywHCkIHQDA&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22I%20sing%20because%20I%20love%20to%20sing%20because%20instinctive%20fancies%20move%22&f=false)