“Lorena”

Description

"The years creep slowly by, Lorena; The snow is on the grass again." The singer recalls his early years with Lorena, and remembers how much he loved her. He tells her that he still loves her as truly

Supplemental text

Lorena
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From sheet music published 1857 (on six pages) by H. M. Higgins
Title page inscribed
                     LORENA
        And hear                 For
the distant Church bells     "if we try,
        chimed              we may forget."
            But there, up there,
            'tis Heart to Heart.

1. The years creep slowly by, Lorena,
   The snow is on the grass again,
   The sun's low down the sky, Lorena,
   The frost gleams where the flow'rs have been.
   But the heart throbs on as warmly now,
   As when the summer days were nigh;
   Oh! the sun can never dip so low,
   Adown affection's cloudless sky.
     The sun can never dip so low,
     Adown affection's cloudless sky.

2. A hundred months have passed Lorena,
   Since last I held that hand in mine,
   And felt the pulse beat fast, Lorena,
   Tho' mine beat faster far than thine.
   A hundred months, 'twas flow'ry May,
   When up the hilly slope we climbed,
   To watch the dying of the day,
   And hear the distant churchbells chimed. (sic.)
     To watch the dying of the day,
     And hear the distant churchbells chimed. (sic.)

3. We loved each other then Lorena,
   More than we ever dared to tell;
   And what we might have been, Lorena,
   Had but our lovings prospered well
   But then, 'tis past the years have gone,
   I'll not call up their shadowy forms;
   I'll say to them, "Lost years, sleep on!
   Sleep on! nor heed, life's pelting storm."
     I'll say to them, "Lost years, sleep on!
     Sleep on! nor heed, life's pelting storm."

4. The story of that past, Lorena,
   Alas! I care not to repeat,
   The hopes that could not last, Lorena,
   They lived, but only lived to cheat.
   I would not cause e'en one regret
   To wrankle (sic.) in your bosom now;
   For "if we try, we may forget,"
   Were words of thine long years ago.
     For "if we try, we may forget,"
     Were words of thine long years ago.

     5.
Yes, these were words of thine, Lorena,
  They burn within my memory yet;
They touched some tender chords, Lorena,
  Which thrill and tremble with regret.
'Twas not thy woman's heart that spoke;
   Thy heart was always true to me:
 A duty stern and pressing, broke
   The tie which linked my soul with thee.

     6.
It matters little now, Lorena,
  The past is in the eternal Past;
Our hearts will soon lie low, Lorena,
  Life's tide is ebbing out so fast.
There is a future! O thank God,
  Of life this is so small a part!
'Tis dust to dust beneath the sod;
  But there, up there, 'tis heart to heart.

Notes

The most popular sentimental song of the Civil War. Ironically, in the original Henry deLafayette Webster poem, the girl was Bertha.

To add to the name confusion, Logsdon reports that Henry Webster had been deeply in love with a girl named Ella. Family opposition prevented their marriage, but Webster was apparently still carrying a torch when he wrote this, though he changed the name to make it seem less personal.

But when Joseph Philbrick Webster (no relation to H. Webster) set the poem to music, he needed a three-syllable name, and so "Lorena" was born. The name is said to be a combination of "Bertha" and Edgar Allan Poe's "lost Lenore"; the name was not in use until the Websters produced their song.- RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Lorena's Answer (Paul Vane)"

Recordings

• Blue Ridge Mountain Singers, "Lorena" (Columbia 15550-D, 1930)
• Smyth County Ramblers, "Way Down in Alabama" (Victor 40144, 1928; on LostProv1)

References

1. Belden, p. 222, "Lorena" (1 text)
2. Randolph 757, "Lorena and Paul Vane" (2 texts, 2 tunes, of which the first is "Lorena' and the second "Lorena's Answer")
3. Logsdon 24, pp. 249-153, "Lorena" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. RJackson-19CPop, pp. 122-125, "Lorena" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. Silber-CivWar, pp. 58-59, "Lorena" (1 text, 1 tune)
6. Arnett, pp. 90-91, "Lorena" (1 text, 1 tune)
7. Hill-CivWar, p. 228, "Lorena" (1 text)
8. Silber-FSWB, p. 255, "Lorena" (1 text)
9. cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 481, "Lorena" (source notes only)
10. DT, LORENNA*
11. ST R757 (Full)
12. Roud #4246
13. BI, R757