(On the old Mississippi shore)
a popular song from 1927
words by Jed Hopkins
music by Sarah A. Westcott
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- On the banks of the Father of waters
As it glides swiftly on to the sea
I am dreaming tonight in the moonlight
Of the friends it has taken from me
‘Twas a day in the glorious springtime
All the world seemed so happy and gay
When the flood quickly rose all about us
And it swept my beloved ones away
Refrain
On the old Mississippi shore
I’m alone in the silvery light
And my poor heart is aching for
Those who sleep in it’s waters tonight
- On the banks of the Father of waters
Stood the farm house in which I was born
With its cornfield and grass covered meadows
Where the lark sweetly sang every morn
There my daddy and mother would greet me
By the old ivy vine ’round the door
Swept away by the merciless torrent
They will never greet me any more - On the banks of the Father of waters
Stood a maid who was waiting for me
And she smiled as she dreamed of the wedding
That alas now is never to be
Neath the stream on whose waters we glided
Often time in my little canoe
There she sleeps in the billowy cradle
From the fate of a watery grave - On the banks of the Father of waters
All is quiet and peaceful tonight
While the world sheds a tear for the victims
Of the wrath of the great river’s might
Thankful hearts breathe a prayer for the heroes
Of the Red Cross so true and so brave
And the women and children they rescued
From the fate of a watery grave
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: