Ulysses Kay's Fugitive Songs, written for mezzo-soprano and piano, was first performed at Illinois Wesleyan University in May of 1956. The song cycle includes eight short songs, all dedicated to his wife. Each song has text written by various poets including Herman Hagedorn, Lizette Reese, Carl Young Rice, Frederic Ridgeley Torrence, Florence Wilkerson, Wittner Bynner, and Elsa Baxter.