Poor Butterfly

From the musical revue “The Big Show”, 1916.
words by John L. Golden
music by Raymond Hubbell

The sheet music:

Poor-Butterfly – Sheet MusicDownload

Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:

Poor_Butterfly – MIDIDownload

Lyrics

  1. There’s a story told of a little Japanese
    Sitting demurely ‘neath the cherry blossom trees
    Miss Butterfly her name
    A sweet little innocent child was she
    Till a fine young American from the sea
    To her garden came
    They met ‘neath the cherry blossoms every 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! ‘neath the blossoms waiting
Poor Butterfly! for she loved him so
The moments 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, Poor Butterfly

  1. “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
    Every day that passes makes one day less
    ‘Till you’ll come 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
    Though her heart is growing numb

Sung here by Fred Feild: