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Come Little Leaves

[ Roud 1775 ; Ballad Index KSUC148C ; George Cooper]

Walter Pardon of Knapton, Norfolk, sang Come Little Leaves to Mike Yates in 1980. This recording was included in 1983 on Pardon’s Home-Made Music album Bright Golden Store and in 2020 on the Musical Tradition anthology Wait Till the Clouds Roll By. Mike Yates noted:

Written, as The Leaves and the Wind, by the American poet George Cooper (1840-1927) and set to music in 1903 by Franco Leoni. Dame Clara Butt made an influential early recording, though Walter may have learnt the piece while at school.

Georgia Shackleton learned Come, Little Leaves from the singing of Walter Pardon, and sang it on her 2023 album Harry’s Seagull. She noted:

I learned this from the singing of the gorgeous Walter Pardon, of Knapton, Norfolk. It can be found on his Bright Golden Store record—named after his ‘Bright Golden Store’ of songs, of which he was so proud. The words are by George Cooper, and were set to music by Thomas J. Crawford. Walter remembers singing this at his primary school.

Lyrics

George Cooper’s poem The Leaves and the Wind

“Come, little leaves,” said the wind one day,
“Come o’er the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”

Soon as the leaves heard the wind’s loud call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the glad little songs they knew.

“Cricket, good-bye, we’ve been friends so long,
Little brook, sing us your farewell song;
Say you are sorry to see us go;
Ah, you will miss us, right well we know.

“Dear little lambs in your fleecy fold,
Mother will keep you from harm and cold;
Fondly we watched you in vale and glade,
Say, will you dream of our loving shade?”

Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went,
Winter had called them, and they were content;
Soon, fast asleep in their earthy beds,
The snow laid a coverlid over their heads.

Walter Parton sings Come Little Leaves

“Come little leaves”, said the wind one day,
“Come o’er the meadows with me and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
Summer is gone and the days grow cold.”

As soon as the leaves heard the wind’s loud call
Down they came fluttering, one and all.
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the sweet little songs they knew.