This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Go, idle boy
Staff Notation • Secular, Glees
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Go, idle boy by John Wall Callcott — Lyrics
Go, idle boy! I quit thy pow'r;
Thy couch of many a thorn and flow'r;
I wish thee well, for pleasures past,
And bless the hour I'm free at last.
Yet still, methinks, the alter'd day
Scatters around a mournful ray;
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About Go, idle boy
This setting of a short English text for ATTB voices captures a complex emotional state. The words express a desire to break free from a difficult relationship, casting off past pleasures and embracing newfound freedom. Yet, the speaker finds that this freedom is tinged with sadness, as a 'mournful ray' seems to scatter around. The fleeting joys of freedom are soon overshadowed by a yearning for the past, even the pain associated with it. The speaker paradoxically invites the 'idle boy' back, desiring to 'love again', even if it means heartbreak. John Wall Callcott's glee is a compelling exploration of these conflicting emotions.
