1. |
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Oh wrap me in my country's flag
And lay me in the cold blue sea,
And let the roaring of the waves
My solemn requiem be.
And I shall sleep a pleasant sleep
While storms above their vigils keep.
My captain brave shall read for me
The service of the silent dead,
And, yea, shall lower me in the waves
While all the prayers are said.
And I shall find my long way home
Among the billows and the foam.
Farewell, my friends, for many a league
We've sailed together on the deep.
Come, let's shake hands, I'll sail no more
But shipmates wherefore weep?
I'm bound above, my course is run,
I'm near the port, my voyage is done.
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2. |
Boney
05:27
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When Boney he commanded his armies to stand,
He leveled his cannon right over the land.
And he leveled his cannon his victory to gain,
And he slew my light horseman on the way in the wake of the plain.
Chorus:
Broken-hearted I'll wander, broken-hearted I will remain
Since my bonny light horseman in the wars he was slain.
Now the dove she laments for her mate as she flies.
"Tell me where, oh, tell me where, is my poor darling?," she cries.
And where in this wide world is there one who compares
With my bonny light horseman who was slain in the war.
Chorus
Now if I were a small bird and I had wings for to fly,
I would fly across the salt sea to where my love he does lie.
And with my fond wings I would beat over his grave,
And I'd kiss those pale lips that lie so cold in the clay.
Chorus
Chorus
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3. |
Jimmy Wells
04:06
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You ask what makes this poor boy weep.
Why I, like others, am not gay.
Why tears come streaming down my cheeks
from early dawn till close of day.
My story people you shall hear,
For in my mind it ever dwells.
T’will cause you for to shed a tear
O'er the grave of my sweet Jimmy Wells.
Chorus
Oh the birds were singing sweetly in the morning.
The myrtle and the ivy were in bloom.
And the sun o’er the hilltop was dawning
The day we laid him in the tomb.
I never will forget the day
We stood together in the dell.
I kissed him and we named the day
That I would marry Jimmy Wells.
But death came to my cabin door
And took away my joy and pride.
And when I found he was no more
I laid my banjo down and cried.
Chorus
The springtime holds no charms for me,
The flowers blooming in the dell.
There is one form I cannot see
It’s the form of my sweet Jimmy Wells.
I’ve often wished that I was dead
And laid beside him in the tomb.
The sorrow that bows down my head
Is darker than all the midnight's gloom.
Chorus
Chorus
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4. |
Vernon (Wrestling Jacob)
04:26
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Come, oh thou traveler unknown
Whom still I hold but cannot see.
My company before is gone
And i am left alone with thee.
With thee all night I mean to stay
And wrestle till the break of day.
In vain thou struggleth to get free
I never will unloose my hold.
Will thou not yet to me reveal
Thy new unutterable name?
I pray thee still, beseech thee tell,
To know it now resolved I am.
Chorus
Wrestling I will not let thee go, till I thy name and nature know.
'Tis all in vain to hold thy tongue
Or touch the hollow of my thigh.
Though every sinew be unstrung,
Out of my arms thou shall not fly.
Chorus
Chorus
Wrestling go I thee nature know and I will.
Thee go will I nature wrestling thee I know.
Till I thy and will go you nature.
Nature will thee go and wrestling thee I thy.
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Nic Gareiss Lansing, Michigan
Dancer and musician Nic Gareiss has concertized in sixteen countries with many roots luminaries including Bill Frisell, Martin Hayes, Phil Wiggins, Karan Casey, and Colin Dunne. In 2020, Nic received the Michigan Heritage Award, his state's highest honor bestowed on traditional artists. Nic uses he/they pronouns, enjoys a daily nap, making and drinking cocktails, and reading queer theory. ... more
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