By Walt Whitman (1860)
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.
Originally published in Leaves of Grass (1860) by Walt Whitman. Public domain.
Analysis
“I Hear America Singing” is Whitman’s compact anthem of labor and individuality. Each worker’s “song” is the sound of competence and belonging, a music of tasks done well. The free verse catalog honors difference without hierarchy: the mason and the mother, the deckhand and the girl sewing, all contribute to the nation’s chorus. Whitman’s optimism is not naïve but aspirational — a vision of a democracy where dignity is measured by participation.
The poem’s energy comes from syntax and repetition rather than rhyme. Phrases start the same and end differently, like variations on a theme, so the list grows without monotony. This is Whitman’s art of inclusion: to make the many feel like one without erasing the particular. The closing image — open mouths singing — turns work into celebration and community into music.