The Curse of the Dreamer

Descriptive solo for baritone or mezzo-soprano, 1899
words and music by Paul Dresser


The sheet music:


Lyrics

‘Tis ended, she’s gone, forgive her no never
Gone with another, forever, forever
Angel’s above, demon’s below
List to my plaint for I want you to know

That the curse of the ages shall follow her on
In every land and clime
Her heart shall ache like an aspen quake
From now ’till the end of time
My prayers shall bring misery on her head
And down in the earth shall she grovel
A miserable wretch in a potter’s field grave
To the requiem clang of the shovel

Somewhere a heart is sighing
Out in the night a sad voice is crying
May the curse of the ages and misery
Follow her to the gates of eternity

At her grave my hate shall have its beginning
No mercy for her, no rest for her sinning
Sprits of air, dead of the sea
Pause for a moment and list unto me
At the heavenly gates where we all shall meet
I’ll be on the Judgement day
Victim of her dark deeds in the past
I’ll be there just to bar the way
No heaven for me for revenge is sweet
With a fiendish incarnation
Through the gates of perdition
I’ll follow her on to eternal and lasting damnation

Why have I been sighing
Why have I been crying
Here you are love by my side
‘Twas only a dream, not true
You are here, love, your eyes beaming
And I have only been dreaming
In all this world, this world so wide
There is none, my love, like you
In all this world so wide
There is none, my love, like you


Sung here by Fred Feild: