I Hear America Singing - Walt Whitman

I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whitman I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands, The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs. [[>>|1]]

You wake up by the dawn's early light. You remember yesterday where you saw twilight's last gleam. Whose flag did those broad stripes and bright stars belong to? Who was working in his workshop and singing his song? Do you remember? Was he the [[mechanic|mechanic]]? Or was he the [[mason|mason]]?

The mechanic. He is blithe and strong, he was singing of the rocket's red glare, and the bombs bursting through air. The rockets and bombs that he made in his workshop. But say, do you remember that star-spangled banner wave? Who was the flag bearer? The one that kept the flag waving through the night? The [[carpenter|carpenter]] who made the flag pole? Or the [[boatman|boatman]] whose mast flew the star spangled flag?

The mason. The mason was not part of this one perilous fight. He was singing as he makes ready for work, and as he leaves off work. No, he was not seen through the mists of the deep. He was seen on the shore talking to the [[deckhand|deckhand]].

The deckhand. He sang his songs on the steamboat's deck. He was talking to the [[mason|mason]] on where freeman shall stand. The deckhand's songs were made his own, adapted from the one's his Captain taught him. His captain is the [[boatman|boatman]].

The carpenter. He sang his song as he measured his plank and beam. The beam that became the flagpole. The flagpole that held 'tis star-spangled banner. He sang "oh long may it wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave". You heard the carpenter's song as it flowed through the streets and into the woods where you found the [[woodcutter|woodcutter]].

The woodcutter. He was in the woods singing. He was singing to a boy dressed in worn out gray clothes. He had a gray cap on and was carrying a sack. He had on a blue shirt, a coat too big, and too short trousers. He looked like he was off to the fields. You heard the woodcutter's song. He was singing that the havoc of war and a battle's confusion will give him a home and a country that should leave him no more. You saw that the boy hummed along as he bid the woodcutter a 'good day' and walked past him on his way to the fields. You hear the ploughboy singing his song, and so you [[followed|ploughboy]] him.

The boatman. He has travelled overseas and through rivers, passed through breezes that fitfully blows. His many boat's mast flies that star-spangled banner over the seas to trade cloths and glues. He sells the goods with the people living on these heav'n rescued lands. The boatman sells the cloths to the [[shoemaker|shoemaker]]. The boatman sells the glues to the [[hatter|hatter]].

The shoemaker. The shoemaker, he sings his song as he sits on his bench. He sings as he hammers buckles, he sings as he sews the cloths he buys from the [[boatman|boatman]]. His workshop sits between his loved home and the desolated grounds from the war in the times before him. He works to maintain a home, to bring home money, to keep a home over the head of his [[mother|mother]].

The hatter. The hatter sings as he stands. He stands and sings while gluing feathers and ribbon on the brightly coloured hats. He himself to madness when he gets overwhelmed with orders. He sings as he works, gluing hats ordered by the rich, hats made for the not so rich. He sings by his lonesome self, sings in his workshop that he runs by himself. He fancies the young girl that lives on the other side of town, she often drops by admiring the pretty hats on display by the window. But he thinks her [[mother|mother]] would disapprove of him.

The mother. She sings as she bakes, cleans, feeds, and cares. She raised the mechanic, the carpenter, mason, boatman, deckhand, shoemaker, hatter, woodcutter, ploughboy, the young wife, and the girl. She raised you. The mother sung her delicious songs to America. She sang as America grew, and America sang along with her. She sang to you as you fell [[asleep|you]].

The ploughboy. He was a hard worker, ploughing the fields while singing his songs. He shared his songs at noon intermission with the other farm hands. He sings his songs at sundown when he walks back home. He works the fields from morning to sundown. He wants to save enough to buy a truck to drive down to California, so he can start a new and better life, according to those handbills he received. He wants to move there and find a job with his [[young wife|young wife]]. Or does he want to save enough to buy a brand new sewing machine for his younger sister. She is hoping to marry the [[hatter|hatter]] in the next town, hoping to be his [[girl|girl]].

The young wife. The young wife, she is working hard at home, singing her song as she is making food for her new husband, the [[ploughboy|ploughboy]]. She was taught how to bake, how to clean, sew, and maintain the household by her mother. She was taught her songs by her [[mother|mother]].

The girl. The girl, she sings as she sews by her mother's side. She sings her songs side-by-side as she does the washings. She wishes to have a pretty new sewing machine so she can learn enough to show the [[hatter|hatter]] in the next town he skills. Perhaps then he would be enticed by her. Her mother though, tells her to work on her cooking first. Mother knows best, so she listens to her [[mother|mother]].

You fell asleep to the mother's delicious singing. Her voice singing you to sleep. She sings of the varied carols that you hear. She signs of what belongs to him or her and to no one else. The day belongs to the day and at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly. You fall asleep signing with open mouth to their melodious songs. You heard America singing as you fell [[asleep|1]].