Once I had a sweetheart,
A sweetheart brave and true.
His hair was dark and curly,
His loving eyes were blue.
He told me that he loved me,
And he often proved it so.
And he often came to see me,
When the ev'ning sun was low.
But fate took him away
To this awful German war,
And when he came to say goodbye,
My heart did overflow.
He says, "Goodbye, little darling,
To France I must go."
He takes the golden finger ring
and he placed it on my hand,
Said, "Remember me, little darling,
When I'm in no man's land.
He promised he would write to me,
That promise he's kept true.
And when I read this letter, friend,
I pray the war is through.
The second letter I got from him,
The war was just ahead.
The third one, wrote by his captain,
My darling dear was dead.
I'll keep all of his letters,
I'll keep his gold ring, too.
And I'll always live a single life
For the soldier who was so true.
A sweetheart brave and true.
His hair was dark and curly,
His loving eyes were blue.
He told me that he loved me,
And he often proved it so.
And he often came to see me,
When the ev'ning sun was low.
But fate took him away
To this awful German war,
And when he came to say goodbye,
My heart did overflow.
He says, "Goodbye, little darling,
To France I must go."
He takes the golden finger ring
and he placed it on my hand,
Said, "Remember me, little darling,
When I'm in no man's land.
He promised he would write to me,
That promise he's kept true.
And when I read this letter, friend,
I pray the war is through.
The second letter I got from him,
The war was just ahead.
The third one, wrote by his captain,
My darling dear was dead.
I'll keep all of his letters,
I'll keep his gold ring, too.
And I'll always live a single life
For the soldier who was so true.
Contributed by Riccardo Venturi - 2005/10/19 - 16:57
×
![]()
Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Testo di Jimmie Rodgers
Lyrics by Jimmie Rodgers
http://members.fortunecity.com/folkfre...
Sull'aria di Once I Had A Sweetheart
To the tune of Once I Had A Sweetheart
[==> Joan Baez Ballad Book, Vol. I]
© 1927 Peer International Corporation
Lyrics as reprinted in Dorothy Horstman, Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, New York, NY, 1976, p. 282-283
MRS. CARRIE RODGERS: "A pal of Jimmie's, Sammie Williams, told his sweetheart good-bye and went to France -- to be killed in action. So before the war was over, Jimmie found time to pick out words and air to his first composition, a sentimental song.... From the first his railroad buddies liked the song, and the young fellows in Meridian who were his boon companions liked it. With banjo, guitar, uke, they hung around the all-night places or strolled the streets playing and singing Jimmie's song along with 'Sweet Adeline' and other sentimental ballads. But it was not until some ten years later that the world heard -- and approved of it."
From 'My Husband, Jimmie Rodgers,' reprinted in Dorothy Horstman, Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, New York, NY, 1976, p. 282