The Republican journal., 1913-07-10
OLD-TIME SONGS.
Some Favorites of the Days Before the
War

A youthful correspondent in writing
recently of the 'Songs of the Eighties"
has recalled to mind the songs | first
learned and which are now mostly for
gotten, writes George Henry Fox. A
mere mention of them may occasion
thrill of mingled pleasure and sadness in
the hearts of some of the elderly readers
to whom they were familiar more than
half a century ago. One of the first
songs l remember was Lilly Dale"
sung to a slow, plaintive air which
seems to have been long since forgotten
Twas calm, still night and the moons pale
light
Shone soft Ger hill and dale,
When friends mute with grief stood around
the death bed
Of my dear, sweet Lily Dale.
o. Lily, sweet Lily, dear Lily Dale.
Now the wild rose blossoms DER the little
green grave
Near the trees in the howery vale.
Another song was "Annie Lisle," the
words of which are no longer heard, al
though the tune is familiar to college
students of the present day, The refrain
was:
Wave willows, murmur watersl
Golden sun6eams smilei
Earthly music cannot waken
Lovely Annie Llsle.
Another was "Gentle Annie" and as |
recollect the words the refrain ran:
Shall | never more behold thee?
Never hear thy gentle voice again?
Thou wilt come more. Gentle Annie,
When the wild flowers. blossom Ger the plain.
This Annie appeared in the title role of
a little fiat song book containing the
words and music of various songs of
that period and called the 'Gentle Annie
Melodist." Another song, the air of
which was a trife more lively than the
words, was extremely popular and rarely
did knot of young folks gather without
singing:
In the hazel dell my Nellie's sleeping.
Nellie loved SO long.
While my lonely, lonely watch Pm keeping
Nellie lost and gone.
Still another of more musical merit
used to be sung by musical troupe call
ed the Buckley Serenaders." l recall
the close harmony of the refrain ano the
lugubrious words:
When the west wind signing, gently sigh
ing,
Meath the pine grove fragrant and green,
There we gathered in tears by the bedside of
NV darling my darling Ella Leene.
1t is noteworthy that so many songs of
the period which | recall were pitched in
such a wonderful key and so often invit-
ed attention to death and the grave, but
| am sure that they were commonly sung
with far more hilarity than grief. The
popular negro melodies of Stephen Fos-
ter partake of the same melancholy
character, but depression of spirits rare
ly if ever accompanies the singing of;
Nellie was lady, last night she died
All the darkies am a-Weeping
Massas in the cold, cold ground
MANY of the songs of this period
were sentimental rather than sad and
some of them were very sweet. Ellen
Bavne." for instance, was simple
ballad linked to sweet elody, begin
ming:
Soft be thy siumbers. rude cares depart.
Visions in numbers cheer thy young heart.
The ending of it was:
Gentle memories DER thee glide.
Dreams of beauty round thee hide,
While l linger By thy side.
Sweet Ellen Bayne.
Another ballad began:
Fairy Belle, gentle Fairy Belle,
The queen OF the meadow and the lily Of the
dell.
Still another ended thus:
Every one who knew her felt the gentle power
OF RosaIie. the Prairie Flower.
Another favorite was my Blue Eyed
Bonnie Eloise." This had touch of
local color and was therefore attractive
to any boy living, as did then, in the
city Of Schenectady;
O. fair is the vale where the Mohawk gently
glides