Historic Sheet Music Collection

Document Type

Score

Publication Date

1918

Comments

A Tale of the Fireside

Lyrics by J.J. Thornton

Music by James Royce Shannon

Williamsport, Pa: Vandersloot Music Pub. Co. (1918)

Some of the resources may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials should be seen in the context of the time period and as a reflection of attitudes of the time. The items are part of the historical record, and do not represent the views of the libraries or the institution.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
When joy and gladness the soul,
No voice have we to speak,
And so when sorrow comes our way,
Its sadness leaves us weak;
A heart then speaks that rules the voice and tears the words do mold
And so this tale of centuries in that language her is told.

[Refrain]
A sob, a sigh, a tear dimm’d eye,
A softly murmured pray’r
A babe at rest on a mother’s breast,
too young as yet to care;
A note that came from “over there”, tells how their hero died;
A tale that’s old too often told,
A tale of the fireside.

[Verse 2]
A kindly word of sympathy may soothe the pain a while,
And pride in him whose loss they feel,
May cause a tender smile;
But when the glow from the hearth lights up the faces there,
No pow’r on earth can stem their tears or can fill that vacant chair.

[Refrain]

Download
COinS
 

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.