"I'd Be a Fairy" (1863)
Song
Written and Composed by
Stephen Collins Foster, 1826-1864

1.
In the cheerful days of spring,
Days bright and airy,
Oft in mirthful glee I sing
I'd be a fairy!
I'd be a fairy, to sport with wint'ry storms,
To fly on the winds, never fearful of alarms,
Coquetting 'mid birds and cheerful melody:
I'd be a fairy sportive and free!

2.
When the world with rudeness frowns,
Or fortune's contrary,
Far beyond earth's chilling bounds,
I'd be a fairy!
I'd be a fairy when midsummer breezes play,
And roaming in gladness to greet the dawn of day,
O'er meadows and streams above the land and sea:
I'd be a fairy joyous and free!