Lily Lee

Cat. #0190 (MFH #360) - As sung by D. J. "Dom" Ingenthron, Forsyth, Missouri on July 15, 1958

VERSE 1
Down by th shores of th sounding sea
Was the humble home of my Lily Lee
And over th deep and th far away
Went a sailor lover, bright and gay

VERSE 2
To gather diamonds, to gather gold
Over th waters so clear and cold
His future to God, he dare not trust
But he wanted it down in golden dust

VERSE 3
So with a kiss an' a parting trill
He changed his heart to an iron drill
He bent his back, to an oaken oar
And sailed away from th sounding shore

VERSE 4
He sailed away, away, away
Farther, farther, day by day
Thinking only of his diamonds and gold
And th joys they'd bring him, when he got old

VERSE 5
She stood on th bank with a quivering lip
She watched and she wept for th sailing ship
She watched an' she sighed till it faded away
Into a bank of desolate gray

VERSE 6
He sailed away, away, away
Farther, farther, day by day

VERSE 7
Oft' times in visions dreamed at night
He saw a terrible gastic light
A coffin floating about on th sea
And on it the name of Lily Lee

VERSE 8
But why need such vision, trouble is mine
When safe she's walking th shore behind
It never could'a been such misfortune or mistake
That corpses would'a been in such a state

VERSE 9
After many long years a' tossing about
This good old ship, takes a homeward route
Saying nothing about the infant glee
But I'm bound for th home of my Lily Lee

VERSE 10
Once more again, th strife is o'er
For rich he steps, on th sounding shore
He soars way to his love cot
But he finds it alone in a desolate spot

VERSE 11
The stones of th wall, was scattered and black
Th door off th hinges, roof all rack
The owl and th bat went swift by near
With a hooting and screeching, not here, not here

VERSE 12
Pleasant churchyard lying in his way
All covered with flowers in th month of May

VERSE 13
Jest twenty graves he'd already passed
When suddenly stopped, with an eye on gaze
He fell to his knees with a hollowing mourn
As he saw one name on a marble stone

VERSE 14
He wiped his eyes from a single tear
But still those letters, they were there
He read them again but what could he see
But sweet rememberence of Lily Lee

Variants