On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away

A beautiful, sentimental ballad set in Indiana, 1897
words by Theodore Dreiser
music by Paul Dresser

A great song for simplicity, nostalgia, and beauty of lyric and melody. It is the state song of Indiana.

The sheet music:

On-The-Banks-Of-The-Wabash-Far-Away – Sheet MusicDownload

Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:

On_The_Banks_Of_The_Wabash – MIDIDownload

Lyrics

  1. ‘Round my Indiana homestead wave the cornfields
    In the distance loom the woodlands clear and cool
    Often times my tho’ts revert to scenes of childhood
    Where I first received my lessons Nature’s school
    But one thing there is missing in the picture
    Without her face it seems so incomplete
    I long to see my mother in the doorway
    As she stood there years ago, her boy to greet

Chorus
Oh, the moonlight’s fair tonight along the Wabash
From the fields there comes the breath of new mown hay
Through the sycamores the candle lights are gleaming
On the banks of the Wabash far away

  1. Many years have passed since I strolled by the river
    Arm in arm, with sweetheart Mary by my side
    It was there I tried to tell her that I loved her
    It was there I begged of her to be my bride
    Long years have passed since I strolled thro’ the churchyard
    She’s sleeping there my angel Mary dear
    I loved her but she thought I didn’t mean it
    Still I’d give my future were she only here

Sung here by Fred Feild: