A Tribute to Sam Walter Foss: The Poet of the Everyday Man

I’ve always loved poetry that feels like a friend—words that don’t loom over you with grandiosity but sit beside you, warm and familiar. The Fireside Poets—Longfellow with his storytelling, Whittier with his quiet truths—first lit that spark for me. But it was Sam Walter Foss who turned it into a fire. His verses taught me that the everyday—grass underfoot, a kind word, a Monday morning—could sing. That discovery fueled my hobby of writing lyrics and pairing them with AI-generated music, leading me to a song I’m proud to share: “Weekdays with Foss.”

Who Was Sam Walter Foss?

Born in 1858 in New Hampshire, Foss was a librarian by trade and a poet by heart. He didn’t write for ivory towers; he wrote for the “everyday man,” the folks passing by what he called “the house by the side of the road.” His most famous poem, The House by the Side of the Road, is a gentle plea to “be a friend to man,” a call for kindness that feels as urgent now as it did then. Another gem, The Coming American, dreams of “men who are strong and sincere”—honest souls who dare to aspire. Across hundreds of poems, often tucked into newspapers and magazines, Foss built a library of ordinary wonders.


What I love most about Foss is his knack for turning the mundane into music. Take The Calf-Path, where he chuckles at our stubborn habits with a wink and a grin. Or his lines that bubble with laughter and play, reminding us to find joy in the small stuff. That’s what inspired “Weekdays with Foss.” I imagined cracking open his pages each Monday, letting his words break the cage of routine and ignite my soul’s inner fire. His poetry feels like a companion—one who knows how it goes and still finds a reason to smile.

If you look at how I have written lyrics and music- it has the inspiration of Foss all over it. It may not be popular among the masses... but I like it.... LOL.

In a world that’s loud and tangled, Foss’s focus on kindness and simplicity feels like a balm. His “house by the side of the road” and many other moods, humor, and even BAD poems still stands, welcoming us to pause and connect. 

Multigenre- if you want a 'style' find collections under playlists and albums

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