Stephen Collins Foster: Verses about Nature

I'm thinking of sweet Lena Clare,
With deep blue eyes and waving hair,
Her voice is soft, her face is fair
My gentle Lena Clare.
I love her careless winning ways,
I love her wild and birdlike lays,
I love the grass whereon she strays
My gentle Lena Clare.
Gentle Lena Clare
My dear lov'd Lena Clare
Her heart is light, her eyes are bright,
My gentle Lena Clare.
Gentle Lena Clare
My dear lov'd Lena Clare
Her heart is light, her eyes are bright,
My gentle Lena Clare.
Gentle Lena Clare
My dear lov'd Lena Clare
Her heart is light, her eyes are bright,
My gentle Lena Clare.
3
Her home is in the shady glen,
When summer comes I'll seek again,
On mountain height and lowland plain;
— — My gentle Lena Clare.

ROUND de meadows am a-ringing
De darkeys' mournful song,
While de mocking-bird am singing,
Happy as de day am long.
Where de ivy am a-creeping,
O'er de grassy mound,
Dere old massa am a-sleeping,
Sleeping in de cold, cold ground.


Chorus:

Down in de corn-field
Hear dat mournful sound:
All de darkeys am a-weeping,—
Massa's in de cold, cold ground.


When de autumn leaves were falling,
When de days were cold,
'T was hard to hear old massa calling,
Cayse he was so weak and old.
Now de orange tree am blooming
On de sandy shore,
Now de summer days am coming,—
Massa nebber calls no more. (Chorus)

Massa make de darkeys love him,
Cayse he was so kind;
Now dey sadly weep above him,
Mourning cayse he leave dem behind.
I cannot work before to-morrow,
Cayse de tear-drop flow;
I try to drive away my sorrow,
Pickin' on de old banjo. (Chorus)

ROUND de meadows am a-ringing
De darkeys? mournful song,
While de mocking-bird am singing,
Happy as de day am long.
Where de ivy am a-creeping,
O?er de grassy mound,
Dere old massa am a-sleeping,
Sleeping in de cold, cold ground.


Chorus:

Down in de corn-field
Hear dat mournful sound:
All de darkeys am a-weeping,?
Massa?s in de cold, cold ground.


When de autumn leaves were falling,
When de days were cold,
?T was hard to hear old massa calling,
Cayse he was so weak and old.
Now de orange tree am blooming
On de sandy shore,
Now de summer days am coming,?
Massa nebber calls no more. (Chorus)

Massa make de darkeys love him,
Cayse he was so kind;
Now dey sadly weep above him,
Mourning cayse he leave dem behind.
I cannot work before to-morrow,
Cayse de tear-drop flow;
I try to drive away my sorrow,
Pickin? on de old banjo. (Chorus

1 I came from Alabama
2 wid my ban jo on my knee,
3 I'm g'wan to Louisiana,
4 My true love for to see,
6 It raind all night the day I left
7 The weather it was dry,
8 The sun so hot I frose to death
9 Susanna dont you cry.

10 [Chorus] Oh! Susanna Oh! dont you cry for me
11 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.

12 [Solo] I jumped aboard de telegraph,
13 And trabbelled down de riber,
14 De Lectric fluid magnified,
15 And Killed five Hundred Nigger
16 De bullgine buste, de horse run off,
17 I realy thought I'd die;
18 I shut my eyes to hold my breath,
19 Susana, dont you cry.

20 [Chorus] Oh! Susana Oh! dont you cry for me
21 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.

22 [Solo] I had a dream de odder night,
23 When ebery ting was still;
24 I thought I saw Susana,
25 A coming down de hill.
26 The buckwheat cake war in her mouth,
27 The tear was in her eye,
28 Says I, im coming from de South,
29 Susana, dont you cry.

30 [Chorus] Oh! Susana Oh! dont you cry for me
31 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.

32 [Solo] I soon will be in New Orleans,
33 And den I'll look all round,
34 And when I find Susana,
35 I'll fall upon the ground.
36 But if I do not find her,
37 Dis darkie 'l surely die,
38 And when I'm dead and buried,
39 Susana, dont you cry.

40 [Chorus] Oh! Susana Oh! dont you cry for me
41 I've come from Alabama wid mi ban jo on my knee.

As you've walked through the town on a fine summer's day,
The subject I've got, you have seen, I dare say;
Upon fences and railings, where ever you go,
You'll see the penny ballads sticking up, in a row;
The titles to read you may stand for a while,
And some are so odd, they will cause you to smile;
I noted them down as I read them along,
And I've put them together to make up my song.
Old songs! New songs! Ev'ry kind of song,
I noted them down as I read them along.
2
There was ' Abraham's Daughter ' ' Going out upon a spree, '
With ' Old Uncle Snow ' ' In the Cottage by the sea; '
' If your foot is pretty, show it ' ' At Lanigan's Ball; '
And ' Why did she leave him ' ' On the raging Canawl? '
There was ' Bonnie Annie ' with ' A jockey hat and feather; '
' I don't think much of you ' ' We were boys and girls together. '
' Do they think of me at home? ' ' I'll be free and easy still; '
' Give us now a good Commander ' with ' The Sword of Bunker Hill. '
3
' When this Cruel War is over, ' ' No Irish need apply, '
' For, every thing is lovely, and the Goose hangs high; '
' The Young Gal from New Jersey, ' ' Oh, wilt thou be my bride? '
And ' Oft in the Stilly Night ' ' We'll all take a ride. '
' Let me kiss him for his Mother, ' ' He's a Gay Young Gambolier; '
' I'm going to fight mit Sigel ' and ' De bully Lager-bier. '
' Hunkey Boy is Yankee Doodle ' ' When the Cannons loudly roar, '
' We are coming, Father Abraham, six hundred thousand more! '
4
' In the days when I was hard up ' with ' My Mary Ann, '
' My Johnny was a Shoemaker, ' or ' Any other Man! '
' The Captain with his whiskers ' and ' Annie of the Vale, '
Along with ' Old Bob Ridley ' ' A riding on a rail! '
' Rock me to sleep, Mother, ' ' Going round the Horn; '
' I'm not myself at all, ' ' I'm a Bachelor forlorn. '
' Mother, is the Battle over? ' ' What are the men about? '
' How are you, Horace Greeley, ' ' Does your Mother know you're out? '
5
' We won't go home till morning, ' with ' The Bold Privateer, '
' Annie Lisle ' and ' Zouave Johnny ' ' Riding in a Railroad Kerr; '
' We are coming, Sister Mary, ' with ' The Folks that put on airs. '
' We are marching along ' with ' The Four-and-Thirty Stars; '
' On the other side of Jordan ' ' Don't fly your Kite too high! '
' Jenny's coming o'er the Green, ' to ' Root Hog or die! '
' Our Union's Starry Banner, ' ' The Flag of Washington. '
Shall float victorious o'er the land from Maine to Oregon!