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I Would Not Die in Summer Time 
I Would Not Die in Summer Time (Stephen Foster) 
I would not die in Summer time When hearts are light and free, And joy is borne from every clime O'er mountain, stream and lea.
 I would not leave the friends I know, Beguiled of hope and cheer, To lose in burning tears of woe The glad time of the year. 
Oh! no, I would not pass away When, from the leafy grove, The red bird carols all the day Its song of joy and love;
 When merry warblers trill their notes From every bush and tree, And on the breeze, an anthem floats Of heaven-born melody. 
I would not die in Summer time, And lie within the tomb, When blushing fruits are in their prime, And fields are in their bloom;
 For I would reap the yellow grain And bind it in the sheaves; Then die when Autumn winds complain Among the blighted leaves. 
APR99