The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-20
MY Old Kentucky Home. "

Thr hou-e + .sill sanding lear Bard--
t"Sn, Ky. where stephen Collins Fo--
Ter xrote the worid-fam0gs song, my
Old Kentucky Home" II i known A.
FEDERAL Tin. the residence place of the
Rowan family for almost a century.
In The late SOS, only five or six years
before his death, Foster. then living In
Pennsylvania, wa- invited By the Row
ASS % pay an extended visit - Federal
Hin. On this visit hi- sister Eliza ne
eompauied him, and the stay in old
Kentucky, a. Foster often said. was one
Of the most pleasant periods Of his life.
Surrounded by all that vas beautiful,
IL was easy for the man who had given
expression 20 80 many soul stirring
Southern melodies -" "OId Folks at
Home" ''Massa's in the Cold, Cold
Ground, etc.-tO compose the tribute
To the mansion OF tie Blue Grass that
will endure as long as Kentucky can
produce single voice capable Of hum
ming its sweet notes. It is doubtless
probable that Foster composed the three
verses of MY Old Kentucky Home" in
quite as many days, and gave a fitting
musical expression To the words en-
ployed as rapidly as his pencil dropped
the lines He was inspired alike by
the beautiful sunshine OF the mornings
and the yellow moonlight Of the nights
that fell upon Federal Hill, by the way
ing golden grain, the hush Of the corn,
the negroes performing their duties,
the lazy little darkies in the cabins, and
fiually by the warblings Of the mock
ing bird, the thrush's mellow song and
the fife-like notes Of the Kentucky ear
dinal, made wOrld-renOwned by James
Lane Allen; and the writing Of the un-
dying verses must have been labor Of
love.
''My Old Kentucky Home" is eharae-
terized by melancholy. Foster seems
to have had n presentiment that the
days of slavery were numbered, and
although NOrtherner by birth regret
ted in his song the coming Of the day
when the dsrkies would ''sing no more
by the giimmer Of the moon, on the
bench by the old cabin door" The
song complete is ss follows:
The sun shines bright on my old Ken
tucky home;
lis summer, the darkie, are all gay;
The corn tops ripe and the meadows in
the bloom.
While the birds are making music all
the day;
The young folks roll on the little cabin
hcOr,
AT merry, all happy all bright;
By'm by hard times oomes s-knOcking al
the door
Then. my old Kentucky home. good
niShL
wa.9 20 mo-~ gay Iziy; oh. wssP nc f,
more to-day;
Wen sing you one song for the old Ken F.
tncky home;
For our old Kentucsy home. Tar away.
They hunt 10 more for the 'possun and !
the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore
They sing no more by the glimmer Of the |
moon,
ON the bench by ths old cabin door;
The day goes by like a shadow Ger the |
heart,
With sorrow where all was delight;
The time has come " hen the dArkies have |
To part,
Then, my old Kentucky home. good |
night.
The head must bow, an1 the back will |
have 10 bend,
Wherever the dIrkies may 60;
A few more days and the trouble all will |
end,
In the field where the sugar canes grow. |
4 few days more To tote the weary load
No matter, it will never be light;
\ few more days till we tOtter on the
road;
Then, my old Kentucky home, good
night.