318 The Dying Girl's Message
'The Dying Girl's Message.' Sung by Miss Beulah Walton. Recorded at Dur-
ham in 1923. The tempo in which the singer renders this melody is surprisingly
fast. This again serves to emphasize the objectivity of the singer towards his
subject.
Raise the win - dow, moth - er dar - ling; Air can nev - er
harm me now. Let the breeze blow in up - on me;
Let it cool my fev - ered brow. You re - mem-ber how he
left me, Cold - ly put-ting me a - side. How he wooed and
won an - oth
er Fair - er girl to be his bride.
Scale: Pentachordal. Tonal Center: c. Structure: ababcbab (2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2) =
aaa^a (4,4,4,4).
'The Dying Girl's Message.' Sung by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. Recorded at
Turkey Creek, Buncombe county ; no date given. The singer says he learned
the song from Ada Greene, who lived on Sweet Water, Clay county, in 1904.
The contraction in measures 3 and 10, due to elision, is responsible for the un-
usual structure of 7 plus 7 measures. The same is true of the chorus, measure
24, as well as the shortening of measure 21. Concerning the text cf. Professor
Belden's remarks in OFS iv 168-9, No. 707.
Raise the win - dow, Moth - er dar - ling, For the air can't
Let the breeze with all its
full-ness Fall up - on my ach - ing-
brow. — It will
soon re - lieve my sor - row And will ease my
ach ing heart, But I
have
dy ing
mes - sage I must give be - fore — we part.
Scale: Heptachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: ababicc^ab^ (3,4,3,
4,4,3,3,4) = aaibbiai (7,7,4,3,7)-
2 Mother, there is one, you know him.
Oh, I cannot speak his name.
You remember how he sought me,
How in loving words he came.
3 Take this ring from off my finger.
Where he placed it long ago.
Give it to him with my blessing.
For he broke my heart, you know.
The last chorus has "Death will soon relieve my sorrow."