The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-10-02
SONGS WE USED TO SING.
SOME OLD MELODIES AND THEIR
LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS.

chop house, way down town, two veri-
table Bohemians sat the other afternoon.
and over their pipes exchanged recollec-
lions. Their talk after while touched
upon old familiar songs, many of which
possess peculiarly interesting local asso.
Citations.
"Now there's The Old Oaken Bucket.
said one of the Bohemians: that song
had its birth up here in Duane street in
1877. Samuel Woodwork, a gifted but
cratic printer, was living there at the
Time. One hot summers day he went
into his house and drank glass of
water, remarking, that tastes good, but
how wish that l could drink lust at
this minute from the old oaken bucket
on my fathers farm Woodworth's
wife remarked alphabetically, What
q. poem could be written on that
thoughtr The printer pondered for a
minute, and sitting down at the nearest
table began to write. Soon the touching
verses beginning How dear to this heart
are the scenes of my childhood were
written. Soon afterward the words
were coupled with a melody composed
by Hallmark for 'Araby's Daughter,
and were sung far and wide"
'Woodman, Spare That Tree is an
other famous song, based on local in
cident," said the second Bohemian.
'The words were written by George P.
Morris, who lived in New York almost
all his life and died here in 1864. When
he was boy his home was on a farm
not far from Bloomingdale. He was
wont to- play there under an old tree
planted by his grandfather.
Many years after he had left the
farm and the property had passed out Of
the hands of his family he happened in
that neighborhood one day, and saw a
man about to cut down the old familiar
tree. He begged the man to desist, and
received the gruff response that the tree
would bring $40 for frewood He gave
the man the money and took bond for
the safe protection of the tree. Soon
afterward he wrote the noted song,
which was set to music by Henry Rus
SELL"
"You have heard how "A Life on the
Ocean Wave came to be written, sup
poser queried the first speaker, as he
moistened his lips. "No? Well, it was
this way. Epes Sargent was walking
along the edge of the Battery one bright
morning when the numerous craft. dane
ing on the glistening water, brought to
his mind suggestion made to him some
time before by his friend, Henry Russell,
that he write marine song. He wrote
the words of "A Life on the Ocean Wave,
and showed them to George P. Morris.
who remarked that they made nice lit
tie poem. but they would not do for a
song
Soon afterward Russell met Sargent
and asked him for the verses. Taking
them to music store at Broadway and
Park Place, Russell went into a little
back room, seated himself at piano and
IN few minutes composed the air of the
famous song. Sargent never received a
cent for it, although the sales of the song
were large.
Ben Bolt you remember, was a
noted song along about 1850" continued
the first Bohemian. 1.-THE original words
OF that song were written in 1912 by Dr.
Thomas Dunn English, of Philadelph ia,
while on visit to New York, and sent
as gratuitous contribution to maya
zine edited by his friend N. P. Willis.
Some years afteward the verses were re-
peated from memory to Nelson Kneass,
New York Bohemian, who set them to
music, adapting an old German song.
Tho instantaneous e d. -
made it source of great profit to its
publishers, but Kneass died in poverty,
complaining that he only received trihe
tor his work. So far as is known the
writer of the original verses got nothing"
But few writers Of popular songs ever
made any money out of them" oracular-
ly remarked the second Bohemian.
There's the familiar case of John How
ard Payne, New York boy, who wrote
Home, Sweet Home while starving in
an attic in Paris. The song was to be
sung in his opera, CLAIR, the Maid of
Milan Payne never got anything for
1t, and later in his life he wrote to a
friend in this city: How often have
been in the heart of Paris, Berlin, Lon
don or some other city, and have heard
persons singing or hand organs playing
Home, Sweet Home without having a
4, shilling to buy myself the next meal or a
place to lay my head"
True. Payne's case was a pathetic
one" assented Bohemian No l, "but
there have been instances where song
writer's made great deal of money ard
did not know how to keep it. Take the
experience of Stephen Collins Foster, for
example. He produced Old Kentucky
Home Old Dog Tray Old Folks at
Home Old Uncle Ned and scores of
other popular songs for which he re-
ceived large sums of money. 1t is mat
ter of record that more than 5000
copies of Old Dog Tray were sold in
eighteen months. Foster was reckless,
happy-go-lucky fellow. Some of his
most famous songs were written on
brown wrapping paper in the back part
of downtown grocery in this city. He
was taken sick here and was conveyed
to hospital, where he died pcnniless
Jan. IS, 1864.
Another man who received large
sums of money for his songs was Henry