Upidee

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The shades of night were falling fast, Tral la la, Tral la la

Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (alt.)
Tune: [The shades of night were falling fast]
Published in 2 hymnals

Representative Text

1 The shades of night were falling fast,
Tral la la, Tral la la,
As thro' an Alpine village passed,
Tral la la la la!
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice
A banner with the strange device,

Chorus:
Upideei, deei, da,
Upidee, Upida,
Upideei, deei, da,
Upideeida!
*r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r -
r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r - r yah! yah! yah! yah!
Upideei, deei, da,
Upidee, Upida,
Upideei, deei, da,
Upideeida!

2 His brow was sad his eye beneath,
Tral la la, Tral la la,
Flash'd like a faulchion from his sheath
Tral la la la la!
And like a silver clarion rung
The accents of that unknown tongue, [Chorus]

3 "O stay," the maiden said, "and rest,"
Tral la la, Tral la la,
"Thy weary head upon my breast,"
Tral la la la la!
A tear stood in his bright blue eye,
But still he answered with a sigh, [Chorus]

4 At break of day as heavenward
Tral la la, Tral la la,
The pious monks of Saint Bernard,
Tral la la la la!
Uttered the oft repeated prayer,
A voice cried through the startled air, [Chorus]

5 A trav'ler, by the faithful hound,
Tral la la, Tral la la,
Half buried in the snow was found,
Tral la la la la!
Still grasping in his hand of ice,
That banner with the strange device, [Chorus]

* Imitating a watchman's rattle

Source: Songs of Service. Rev. ed. #a142

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Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth , D.C.L. was born at Portland, Maine, Feb. 27, 1807, and graduated at Bowdoin College, 1825. After residing in Europe for four years to qualify for the Chair of Modern Languages in that College, he entered upon the duties of the same. In 1835 he removed to Harvard, on his election as Professor of Modern Languages and Belles-Lettres. He retained that Professorship to 1854. His literary reputation is great, and his writings are numerous and well known. His poems, many of which are as household words in all English-speaking countries, display much learning and great poetic power. A few of these poems and portions of others have come into common use as hymns, but a hymn-writer in the strict sense of that term he… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	The shades of night were falling fast, Tral la la, Tral la la
Title:	Upidee
Author:	Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (alt.)
Source:	Longfellow's "Excelsior"
Language:	English
Refrain First Line:	Upideei, deei, da
Copyright:	Public Domain