Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-07-12
Girl I Left Behind Me
indianapolis News.

I'll think You have resigned me-"
My heart nigh broke when L answered
No.
To the girl 1 left behind me.
For never shall my true love brave
A life of war and toil.ng,
And never as Il skulking slave
I'll tread my native soil on;
But We're it free or to be freed,
The battles close would find me
To Ireland bound, nor message need
From the girl l left behind me.
The following version is different in
words and music from the foregoing, but
the sentiment in both is in harmony With
the title:
The Girl Left Behind Me.
I'm lonesome since 1 crossed the hills,
And DER the moorland sedgy,
Such heaviness my bosom nils,
Since parting with my Betsy.
j speak for one as fair and gay.
But find none to remind me,
How blest the hours passed away
With the girl L left behind me.
The hour / remember we'll,
When first she owned she loved me.
A pain within my breast doth tell,
How constant / AVE proved me;
But now I'm bound for Brighton camp.
klnd Heaven then pray guide me,
And send me home. safe back again,
To the girl l left behind me.
My mind her image must retain,
Asleep or sadly waking;
L long to see my love again,
For her my heart is breaking,
Whene'er my steps return that way,
Still faithful shall she find me,
And never more again III stray
From the girl L left behind me.
The following is another popular Ameri.
can version which has appeared in many
editions of popular songs during the Nine
teenth and Twentieth centuries. The
words were copied from the franklin
square song collection, which was printed
in New York in 1884:
The Girl ! Left Behind Me.
I'm lonesome since 1 crossed the hip
And DER the moor and valley;
Such heavy thought my heart do fill,
Since parting with my Sally,
l seek no more the fine and gay,
For each does but remind me,
And send me safely back again
10 the girl I've left behind me,
oh ne'er shall I forget the night.
me stars We're bright above me,
When first she voiced she loved me,
But now I'm bound to Brighton camp
Kline heaven, may favor find me,
And send me safely back again
To the girl I've left chino me.
The bee shall honey taste no more,
me doVe become q ranger,
The dashlng waves shall cease to roah
Ere she's to be my stranger;
The VOWS we've registered above
Shall ever cheer and bind me,
In constancy to Ner I love,
The girl I've left behind me.
My mind her form shall still retain.
In sleeping or in waking,
Until l see my love again,
For whom my heart is breaking.
If eyer should see the day,
When Mars shall nave resigned ~na
Forevermore I'll gladly stay
With the girl I've left behind me.
The difference in these versions no
DOUBT came about through the circum-
stance that, like many other songs of this
kind, 1T was in eXiseence many years be-
fore it was printed. 1t was carried from
camp to camp by soldiers with an ear for
music, and when they forgot the words
they supplied new ones. The third YER
sion is from an English song book n,b.
lished some so years ago, consequently IL
may be the current English. version. But
there are no doubt many other variations
and parodies, for the Tilt of the sons
sticks In the memory and it has lived
for over a century and a half-a tribute
to its appeal to the popular taste.