The following is a compilation of versus taken from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  This has long been one of my favorite poems.

I’ve compiled the verses from the various books into a single presentation here, and I’ll follow that with a slightly bizarre note.  First, the song as sung and spoken by Bilbo and Frodo.  The fourth stanza is the only one provided by Frodo and is a slight variation of the stanza before it, but I’m still including it since Tolkien placed them in this order and presented them across the novels in this form.  Also note the last stanza is in italics for a reason which I’ll explain after the poem.

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains of the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Roads go ever ever on
To the lands beyond the sea.
On a white ship will I sail
Watching shadows part for me.
Roads I traveled I must leave,
For I’ve turned the final bend.
Weep not empty, but grieve,
For each road comes to an end.

Here’s the weird note about why the last stanza is in italics.  While it completes this song, I cannot for the life of me find it in the books.  That doesn’t mean it’s not there; it does mean I can’t find it.  It’s a little odd in that sense because I normally have no trouble finding the quotes and references I’ve noted throughout my life, yet this one is written on paper from 20 years ago and I can’t determine where it came from.  Perhaps it’s not Tolkien’s work and perhaps it is; in either case, it finishes the poem nicely and appropriately.  If you have any idea where that last stanza came from, please let me know.