The Blonde in the house has an old book that was handed down to her. It is entitled “Heart Songs”. It was prepared in 1909 and was subtitled “Melodies of Days Gone By”. It was compiled by a then famous National Magazine which I am pretty sure none of you recall, but in its day it was right up there with the best of them.
They had asked their readers to send them their favorite songs which they did by the thousands. If any of you reading this are more interested in songs of today than those of days gone by, you may want to go elsewhere.
This is particularly true if you are a rap fan because I could not find one among the 508 pages. I supposed if someone tried they might be able to rap, “Old Dan Tucker”, There are a number of patriotic songs listed. One that was popular is called, “Battle Cry of Freedom.” The first verse is: “Yes, we’ll rally round the flag, boys, we’ll rally once again. Shouting the battle cry of Freedom, We will rally from the hillside, we’ll gather from the plain, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom” followed by three more similar verses. The folks back in those days were very patriotic which is not a bad thing by any means!
As indicated above there are all sorts of songs in this book some of which involve introspection. As an example there is one named “Paddle Your Own Canoe”. I found the fourth verse to be the best, which starts out like you live in Florida, and it goes. “If a hurricane rise in the mid-day skies, and the sun is lost to view, move steadily by with a steadfast eye, and paddle your own canoe. The daisies that grow in the bright green fields are blooming so sweet for you, so never sit down with a tear or a frown, but paddle your own canoe.” I figure that there is nothing wrong with paddling your own canoe. Makes us all stronger!
Then there were a ton of romantic songs. There were songs that will live forever like, “Kiss Me Quick and Go”, “Kathleen Aroon”, and the ever popular “How Can I leave Thee.” The most heart tugging one in my opinion was “Johnny Sands”. This song can be considered a lament on what would have happened had Frankie & Johnny made it to the wedding and endured many years of marriage. I say endured because if you recall, Johnny had “done her wrong” so she would have had to forgive him instead of shooting him. It could have happened that way – perhaps in an alternate universe.
Several years ago I mentioned the song “Johnny Sands”, but it is such an ardent song that I felt it needed to be mentioned again. In this song Johnny and his wife have married, but apparently once the honeymoon stage had passed they could not stand each other. In fact, Johnny Sands had gotten to the point where he told Betty that he had no desire to continue living. She agreed that it would be a good idea if that were to occur. Johnny then indicated that he would stand by the high river bank at the end of the street, and she could run down the hill and push him into the raging river. Betty readily agreed. The last verse explains what then happened.
Johnny exclaimed, “For fear that I should courage lack and try to save my life, Pray tie my hands behind my back, I will replied his wife, She tied them fast as you may think, and when securely done, ‘Now Stand’ she says ‘upon the brink and I’ll prepare to run’. All down the hill his loving bride now ran with all her force to push him in; – he stepped aside, and she fell in, of course. Now splashing, dashing like a fish, ‘Oh, save me, Johnny Sands.’ I can’t my dear, tho’ much I wish, for you have tied my hands.”
I can’t read the music that goes with this song, but I am certain that it emphasizes the romance of such an occasion. Romeo and Juliet had nothing on this tale. This song obviously tugs at your heart strings which I guess is why the book is called, “Heart Songs.”
I don’t know why they didn’t make a stage play or movie out of this song. I am certain that it would have drawn record audiences.
Barry Evans is a columnist for Villages-News.com.