Historic Sheet Music Collection
Title
Document Type
Score
Links to Recordings at the Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_edna-brown-john-l.-golden-raymond-hubbell_gbia0013610a
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_errol-garner-j-garner-hubbell-john-simmons-shadow-wilson_gbia0025529a
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_fritz-kreisler-raymond-hubbell_gbia0024791a
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_grady-martin-and-the-slew-foot-five-raymond-hubbell-john-golden_gbia0028794a
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_katherine-clark-hubbell_gbia0016795a
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_leo-diamond_gbia0037146a
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_paul-weston-and-his-orchestra-john-l-golden-raymond-hubbell_gbia0037604e
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_paul-whiteman-and-his-orchestra-john-l-golden-raymond-hubbell_gbia0017775b
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_red-nichols-and-his-orchestra-john-l-golden-raymond-hubbell_gbia0032744b
https://archive.org/details/78_poor-butterfly_victor-silvester-and-his-ballroom-orchestra-raymond-hubbell-john-l_gbia0037448b
Publication Date
1916
Lyrics
VERSE 1
There's a story told of a little Japaneses
Sitting demurely 'neath the cherry blossom trees.
Miss Butterfly her name.
A sweet little innocend child was she,
Till a fine young American from the sea.
To her garden came.
Then met 'neath the cherry blossoms ev'ry day
And he taught her how to love in the "merican way,
To love with her soul! 'twas easy to learn;
Then he sailed away with a promise to return.
REFRAIN
Poor Butterfly! 'neat the blossoms waiting
Poor Butterfly! For she loved him so.
The moment pass into hours
The hours pass into years
And as she smiles through her tears,
She murmurs low,
The moon and I know that he be faithful,
I'm sure he come to me bye and bye.
But if he don't come back
Then I never sigh or cry
I just mus' die.
VERSE 2
"Won't you tell my love" she would whisper to the breeze
Tell him I'm waiting 'neath the cherry blossom trees.
My Sailor man to see.
The bees and the humming birds say they guess,
Ev'ry day that passes makes one day less.
'Till you'll come home to me.
For once Butterfly she gives her heart away,
She can never love again
She is his for aye.
Through all of this world,
For Ages to come,
So her face just smiles,
Tho' her heart is growing numb.
REFRAIN
Recommended Citation
Golden, John L. and Hubbell, Raymond, "Poor Butterfly" (1916). Historic Sheet Music Collection. 1761.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sheetmusic/1761
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.
Comments
The Big Show at the New York Hippodrome
Management Charles Dillingham
Staged by R. H. Burnside
Lyrics by John L. Golden
Music by Raymond Hubbell
Illustrated by Burton Rice
Vocal
My Skating Girl
Poor Butterfly
A Little World of Our Own
Queen of the Land of Snow
We'll Stand By Our Country
Good Ship Honeymoon
The Hippodrome Street Parade
Come on Down to Rag-time Town
Hello! I've Been Looking For You
T.B. Harms and Francis, Day & Hunter, New York
Copyright MCMXVI by T.B. Harms & Franceis, Day & Hunter, N.Y.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
Some of these 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 library or the institution.