These five songs were published together with "Revelge" and "Der Tambourg'sell" as Seven Last Songs, and were not intended as a cycle. This is illustrated by the lack of connection between the songs and by the different combinations of instruments. Although often performed together, there is no particular order. Mahler conceived all but one of these songs for orchestral accompaniment; he wrote "Liebst du um Schönheit" for piano accompaniment. Unlike Mahler's earlier "Wunderhorn" songs, these songs are, with one exception, completely in the lyrical lied style. The folk song element of Mahler's earlier songs is entirely absent.

"Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder," scored for single winds, horn, harp, and strings without basses, is a somewhat ephemeral setting of a maiden's presumed modesty. The flowing accompaniment and the ingenuous vocal line create the light mood and the playful orchestral ending reflects the maiden's feigned innocence.

"Ich atmet' einen linden Duft" uses in addition to the winds, three horns, harp, celesta, violins, and violas. It is a delicate and evocative setting of a summertime scene. The vocal line moves in lyrical duet with various woodwind solos over an undulating string accompaniment. Unfortunately the play on the words "Lind" (delicate) and "Linde" (lime-tree), which is the point of the poem, is lost in translation. The arpeggios of the celesta illustrate the piquancy of the lime-tree's scent in the introduction and coda.

"Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" is surely Mahler's finest song. The first of Mahler's compositions based on a "world-weary" theme (Das Lied von der Erde being the largest example), this song is rich in lush, late-Romantic harmonies and beautiful melodic lines. The mournful violin solo between the second and third verses is reminiscent of parts of the Kindertotenlieder composed at about the same time. In spite of this and other moments of anguish, the song is generally imbued with a mood of quiet acceptance and resignation. The scoring consists of double woodwinds without flutes and with English horn, two horns, harp, and full strings.

The one song that is not a lyrical lied is "Um Mitternacht." The epic and philosophical text of this song is reflected in the rather austere, hymn-like setting for full winds, brass, timpani, harp, and piano. As the singer contemplates human destiny, the orchestra accompanies with broadly moving contrapuntal lines. A grand brass chorale underlines the casting of mankind's fate into God's hands for the climactic ending. Less a song, and more a symphonic ode, "Um Mitternacht" seems almost too big for a solo vocal setting. The last verse in particular is reminiscent of Mahler's great choral/orchestral symphonies.

In a completely different vein is "Liebst du um Schönheit." Originally conceived with only piano accompaniment, this is an intimate and beautiful love song composed by Mahler specifically for his wife, Alma. The vocal line is simple, yet highly expressive, and the accompaniment is subtle and unobtrusive. The standard orchestration by Max Puttmann is appropriately simple, if not entirely characteristic.

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Published with Der Tamboursg'sell and the Five Rückert Lieder as part of Sieben Lieder aus letzter Zeit, Revelge (Reveille), composed in 1899, is the second to last song Mahler set from Brentano and Arnim's collection of German folk poetry Des Knaben Wunderhorn. It is also the longest of all the Wunderhorn songs. A sinister quick-step march depicts the last parade of a slain regiment—as skeletons. Scored for full orchestra without trombones, Revelge has all the fanfares, drum tattoos, woodwind trills, and snappy rhythms of any Sousa march, yet is as grim and ironic as only Mahler can be in his darkest moods. The last line of each stanza features the usually light and silly syllables "Tralali, tralaley, tralalera," but in this context they have a chilling and macabre effect. Sounding much like the opening movement of his Symphony No. 6, this song shows Mahler at his most characteristic and powerful.

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Composed in 1901, Der Tamboursg'sell (The Drummer Boy) is Mahler's last setting from Brentano and Arnim's collection of Germany folk poetry Das Knaben Wunderhorn. Patterned after his earlier song Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz from Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit, Vol. 3 Der Tamboursg'sell is based on the same subject: a deserter facing execution. Once again Mahler has used a military funeral march as the means to convey the drummer boy's fear of the gallows and his sad farewell to his comrades-in-arms. This time, though, the orchestral effects are real, not imitated on the piano. The song is scored for a dark-sounding orchestra without the brighter timbred flutes, trumpets, trombones, violins or violas. In spite of the expected military musical flourishes of fanfares, drum tattoos and march rhythms the result of this unusual scoring is a tragic and bitter dirge. Although there are no thematic connections, Der Tamboursg'sell seems closely related to the funeral march opening movement of Mahler's Fifth Symphony, composed at this same time.

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