#271 - Mary Blane

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• Composer:
  • traditional ¹⁾
• Title variations:
  • Mary Blaine
• MIDI | show
  
• Incipit: 1235534321355421235534321232165
• Condensed Incipit: 1235343213542123534321232165
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• Lyrics:
  I'll tell you of a lovely girl
  Her country and her name;
  She lived alone in Switzerland,
  And they called her Mary Blane.
  
  chorus:
  O then farewell, O then farewell,
  Farewell, poor Mary Blane.
  O tell me true, if ever you
  Are coming back again.
  
  Some cruel robbers went one day
  A-hunting for their game,
  And breaking in her peaceful hut,
  They stole poor Mary Blane.
  
  When time rolled by, it greiv'd me much
  To think no tidings came,
  The woods I hunted night and day
  To find poor Mary Blane.
  
  At last, when I discovered how
  They'd bound her with a chain,
  And cruelly deserted her,
  I wept for Mary Blane.
  
  But soon came death, relentless death,
  To free her from all pain;
  And ere another dawn of day
  All cold was Mary Blane.
  
  chorus:
  O then farewell, O then farewell,
  Farewell, poor Mary Blane.
  For till we meet beyond the sky,
  We'll never meet again.
  
  
  • traditional
• Lyrics:
  
  The lyrics of this version of the song are not included here because they repeatedly use a term for an African-American that by today's standards is offensive and objectionable. A copy of the 1847 sheet music for the song is held in the United States Library of Congress collection “Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, 1820-1860” and a digitized version may be viewed online at loc.gov
  
  • F.C. German, as sung by the Ethiopian Serenaders
• Lyrics:
  I once did lub a pretty gal,
  I lub'd her as my life,
  She came from Lusiana;
  And I made her my dear wife.
  At home we lib'd so happy,
  Oh, free from grief and pain,
  But in de winter time ob year
  I lost my Mary Blane.
  
  chorus:
  Oh fare de well, poor Mary Blane!
  One feeling heart bids you adieu,
  Oh fare de well, poor Mary Blane!
  We'll never meet again.
  
  I went into de woods one day,
  To hunt among de cane,
  De white man came into my house,
  And took poor Mary Blane.
  It grieb me berry much to tink,
  No hopes I entertain,
  Of eber seeing my dear gal,
  My own poor Mary Blane.
  
  When toiling in de cotton field,
  I cry and say good bye,
  Unto my broder comrades,
  Dat, oh, soon, oh, soon I die,
  My poor wife gone, I cannot lib
  Amidst dis world ob pain,
  But lay me in de grabe to find,
  Out my poor Mary Blane.
  
  chorus:
  Den fare de well dear Mary Blane,
  Do we are parted here on earth,
  Oh, fare de well dear Mary Blane,
  We soon shall meet again.
  
  
  • traditional