The Steven Foster Piano Collection is a collection of classic American songs by Stephen Foster and played by Jon Sarta. The melodies are memorable and have been a part of American folklore for over 150 years. The songs recall a time in our country when life was hard but simple. Foster’s music has endured and continues to be a part of our heritage.
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day
Lull’d by the moonlight have all pass’d away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life’s busy throng
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart
E’en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Come where my love lies dreaming,
Dreaming the happy hours away,
In visions bright redeeming
The fleeting joys of day;
Dreaming the happy hours,
Dreaming the happy hours away;
My own love is sweetly dreaming the happy hours away.
The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home
'Tis summer, the darkies are gay
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy, and bright
By 'n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, good night
[Chorus]
Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home far away
[Verse 2]
They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon
On the meadow, the hill and the shore
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon
On the bench by the old cabin door
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart
With sorrow where all was delight
The time has come when the darkies have to part
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!
[Chorus]
Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home far away
1. Oh! ladies don’t you wonder
When I again appear
I’ve just been ober yonder
To see my Dolcy dear
For Dolcy steps so lightly
Among de bricks and stones
Her eyes dey shine so brightly
Oh! dadda, D’ D’ Dolcy Jones
Chorus:
Bye, bye my darling
Sleep to de rattle ob de bones
Slumber till morning
My lubly Dolcy Jones
2. Oh! when I go a-courting
I ride through mud and rain
I leabe de old hoss snorting
At de corner ob de lane
I find my Dolcy weeping
And charm her wid de bones
Bye’n bye I leabe her sleeping
Oh! dadda, D’ D’ Dolcy Jones
3. I went up town dis morning
To sing a little song
Miss Dolcy send me warning
To bring my boots along
For de yard is paved wid cinder
And de house is built ob stones
And a head is at de window
Oh! dadda, D’ D’ Dolcy Jones
Some folks like to sigh
Some folks do, some folks do
Some folks long to die
But that's not me nor you
(Chorus)
Long live the merry, merry heart
That laughs by night and day
Like the Queen of Mirth
No matter what some folks say
(Verse 2)
Some folks fear to smile
Some folks do, some folks do
Others laugh through guile
But that’s not me nor you
(Chorus)
(Verse 3)
Some folks fret and scold
Some folks do, some folks do
They'll soon be dead and cold
But that's not me nor you
(Chorus)
(Verse 4)
Some folks get grey hairs
Some folks do, some folks do
Brooding o’er their cares
But that's not me nor you
(Chorus)
(Verse 5)
Some folks toil and save
Some folks do, some folks do
To buy themselves a grave
But that's not me nor you
(Chorus)
I'm thinking of sweet Lena Clare
With deep blue eyes and waving hair
Her voice is soft, her face is fair
My gentle Lena Clare
(Chorus)
Gentle Lena Clare
My dear lov'd Lena Clare
Her heart is light
Her eyes are bright
My gentle Lena Clare
(Verse 2)
I love her careless, winning ways
I love her wild and birdlike lays
I love the grass whereon she strays
My gentle Lena Clare
(Chorus)
(Verse 3)
Her home is in the shady glen
When summer comes I'll seek again
On mountain height and lowland plain
My gentle Lena Clare
(Chorus)
(Verse 1)
I long for thee; must I long and long in vain?
I sigh for thee; will thou come not back again?
Though cold forms surround us
To sever all that bound us
Gentle queen of my song
The fields and the fair flowers shall welcome thee
And all to thy pleasures shall belong
Pride of my early years
Thou art the queen of my song
(Verse 2)
The days are gone, days of summer bright and gay
The days of love we so fondly whiled away
But still while I'm dreaming
Thy smiles o'er me beaming
Gentle queen of my song
The wind o'er the lone meadow wails for thee
The birds sing thy beauties all day long
Pride of my early years
Thou art the queen of my song
(Verse 3)
I turn to thee; though our happy hours have flown
I turn to thee; and my saddest thoughts are gone
For love will be burning
And memory still returning
Gentle queen of my song
Come let thy warm heart rejoice with me
Come from the bright and luring throng
Pride of my early years
Thou art the queen of my song
Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay,
Gone are my friends from the cotton fields away,
Gone from the earth to a better land I know,
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe".
Chorus
I'm coming, I'm coming, for my head is bending low;
I hear those gentle voices calling, "Old Black Joe".
Why do I weep when my heart should feel no pain?
Why do I sigh that my friends come not again,
Grieving for forms now departed long ago?
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe".
Chorus
Where are the hearts once so happy and so free?
The children so dear that I held upon my knee,
Gone to the shore where my soul has longed to go.
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe".
Chorus
[Verse 1]
De Camptown ladies sing dis song—Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De Camp-town race-track five miles long—Oh! doo-dah day!
I come down dah wid my hat caved in—Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I go back home wid a pocket full of tin—Oh! doo-dah day!
[Chorus]
Gwine to run all night!
Gwine to run all day!
I’ll bet my money on de bob-tail nag—
Somebody bet on de bay
[Verse 2]
De long tail filly and de big black hoss—Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Dey fly de track and dey both cut across—Oh! doo-dah-day!
De blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole—Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can’t touch bottom wid a ten foot pole—Oh! doo-dah-day!
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
Old muley cow come on to de track—Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De bob-tail fling her ober his back—Oh! doo-dah-day!
Den fly along like a rail-road car—Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin’ a race wid a shootin’ star—Oh! doo-dah-day!
(Verse 1)
Nelly Bly! Nelly Bly!
Bring de broom along
We’ll sweep de kitchen clean, my dear
And hab a little song
Poke de wood, my lady lub
And make de fire burn
And while I take de banjo down
Just gib de mush a turn
(Chorus)
Heigh! Nelly, Ho! Nelly
Listen lub to me
I’ll sing for you, play for you
A dulcem melody
(Verse 2)
Nelly Bly hab a voice
Like de turtle dove
I hears it in de meadow
And I hears it in de grove
Nelly Bly hab a heart
Warm as cup of tea
And bigger dan de sweet potato
Down in Tennessee
(Chorus)
(Verse 3)
Nelly Bly shuts her eye
When she goes to sleep
When she wakens up again
Her eyeballs gin to peep
De way she walks, she lifts her foot
And den she brings it down
And when it lights der’s music dah
In dat part of de town
(Chorus)
(Verse 4)
Nelly Bly! Nelly Bly!
Nebber, nebber sigh
Nebber bring de teardrop to
De corner ob your eye
For de pie is made ob punkins
And de mush is made ob corn
And der’s corn and punkins plenty lub
A lyin in de barn
Oh I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee
I'm going to Louisiana
My true love for to see
It rained all night the day I left
The weather it was dry
The sun so hot I froze myself
Susanna, don't you cry
Oh! Susanna
Oh! don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee
I had a dream the other night
When everything was still
I thought I saw Susanna
Coming down the hill
The buckwheat cake was in her mouth
The tear was in her eye
I said I'm coming from the South
Susanna don't you cry
Oh! Susanna
Oh! don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee
Oh I soon will be in New Orleans and then I'll look around
And when I find my Susanna, I'll fall upon the ground
But if I do not find her, this man will surely die
And when I'm dead and buried, Susanna don't you cry
Oh! Susanna
Oh! don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee
Way down upon de Swanee Ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere's wha my heart is turning ebber,
Dere's wha de old folks stay.
All up and down de whole creation
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for de old plantation,
And for de old folks at home.
Chorus
All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb-rywhere I roam;
Oh, darkeys, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home!
2nd verse
All round de little farm I wandered
When I was young,
Den many happy days I squandered,
Many de songs I sung.
When I was playing wid my brudder
Happy was I;
Oh, take me to my kind old mudder!
Dere let me live and die.
3rd Verse
One little hut among de bushes,
One dat I love
Still sadly to my memory rushes,
No matter where I rove.
When will I see de bees a-humming
All round de comb?
When will I hear de banjo strumming,
Down in my good old home?
Thou wilt come no more, gentle Annie,
Like a flow'r thy spirit did depart;
Thou art gone, alas! like the many
That have bloomed in the summer of my heart.
Chorus:
Shall we never more behold thee;
Never hear thy winning voice again
When the Springtime comes gentle Annie,
When the wild flow'rs are scattered o'er the plain?
When thy downy cheeks were in their bloom;
Now I stand alone mid the flowers
While they mingle their perfumes o'er thy tomb.
cho: Shall we never more behold thee;
Never hear thy winning voice again
When the Springtime comes gentle Annie,
When the wild flow'rs are scattered o'er the plain?
Near the silent spot where thou art laid,
And my heart bows down when I wander
By the streams and the meadows where we stray'd.
cho: Shall we never... behold thee;
Never hear thy winning voice again
When the Springtime comes gentle Annie,
When the wild flow'rs are scattered o'er the plain?
Gentle Annie
When the wild flow'rs are scattered o'er the plain?
1. Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor;
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh Hard times come again no more.
Chorus:
Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard Times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door;
Oh hard times come again no more.
2. While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay,
There are frail forms fainting at the door;
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say
Oh hard times come again no more.
3. There's a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away,
With a worn heart whose better days are o'er:
Though her voice would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day,
Oh hard times come again no more.
4. Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave,
Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore
Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave
Oh hard times come again no more.
I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Borne, like a vapor, on the summer air;
I see her tripping where the bright streams play,
Happy as the daisies that dance on her way.
Many were the wild notes her merry voice would pour.
Many were the blithe birds that warbled them o'er:
Oh! I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air.
I long for Jeanie with the daydawn smile,
Radiant in gladness, warm with winning guile;
I hear her melodies, like joys gone by,
Sighing round my heart o'er the fond hopes that die:—
Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,—
Wailing for the lost one that comes not again:
Oh! I long for Jeanie, and my heart bows low,
Never more to find her where the bright waters flow.
I sigh for Jeanie, but her light form strayed
Far from the fond hearts round her native glade;
Her smiles have vanished and her sweet songs flown,
Flitting like the dreams that have cheered us and gone.
Now the nodding wild flowers may wither on the shore
While her gentle fingers will cull them no more:
Oh! I sigh for Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air.
Available here, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and many other Digital Music Outlets
MP3 Album: 9.99 CD $12.97
Socials