Wedding reading
from Song of the Open Road
Walt Whitman
“from Song of the Open Road” by Walt Whitman is a poem read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 25 seconds read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
Camerado, I give you my hand! I give you my love more precious than money, I give you myself before preaching or law; Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
These five lines close Song of the Open Road as printed in the 1882 Leaves of Grass.
What it says
The speaker holds out his hand to a companion, “camerado”, and offers three gifts: his hand, his love, which is worth more than money, and himself, before any preacher or law has had a say. Then he asks two questions. Will you give me yourself and travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live? The lines close a long poem about leaving the comfortable and setting out on the road together, and they end on a question rather than a promise. At a wedding the question is left open on purpose, because the couple are about to answer it with their vows.
Twenty-five seconds, and it ends on a question the couple answer with the vows. Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: travelling together · a question rather than a promise · short · informal · an outdoor wedding.
Who it suits
Informal and outdoor weddings, couples who travel or hike, and anyone who wants a reading that feels like an invitation rather than a statement. It suits couples marrying without a religious framework, since “before preaching or law” puts the personal promise first. Because it is gender-neutral and addressed to a companion, it works for any couple. It is too short to carry a ceremony on its own.
Where it goes in the ceremony
Directly before the vows, so that the vows answer its final question. A friend reads it, or the officiant reads it as a bridge into the vows. Because it runs about twenty-five seconds, it pairs easily with a longer reading earlier in the ceremony.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 45 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 20 seconds of reading.
- “Camerado” is Whitman’s own word for comrade. Say it warmly and without stumbling; it sets the tone.
- The three “I give you” lines build. Let each one be a little stronger than the last.
- Ask the two final questions as real questions, with a lift at the end, then pause and look at the couple. The officiant can pick up straight from the silence with the vows.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “from Song of the Open Road” take to read aloud?
“from Song of the Open Road” takes about 25 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “from Song of the Open Road”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “from Song of the Open Road” runs about 25 seconds, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “from Song of the Open Road” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsThe scripture promise to go wherever the other goes
- The Road Not Takena minute and a halfAnother road poem, looking back on a choice
- from The House at Pooh Corner — "I just wanted to be sure of you"15 secondsAnother very short piece about reaching for someone’s hand
- Sonnet 1855 secondsWilliam Shakespeare
- A Red, Red Rose45 secondsRobert Burns
- To My Dear and Loving Husband50 secondsAnne Bradstreet