{"id":13485,"date":"2021-11-05T17:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T17:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=13485"},"modified":"2021-11-05T17:03:41","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T17:03:41","slug":"back-to-the-old-home-again","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/back-to-the-old-home-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to the old home again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
First Published<\/td>1894<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Felix McGlennon<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN25902<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Vinney Bishop<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Sumner, Thomas; Canada: Ontario: 1962
Poleson, Andrew; Scotland: Shetland: 1971<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Back to the Old Home Again.<\/strong>\nCopyright, 1894, by Frank Tonsey.\nWords and Music by Felix McGlennon.\n\nThere's a place that will ne'er be forgotten by me,\n\"Its the cottage wherein I was born,\nAnd though years have rolled on, yet in fancy I see\nIt there, 'mid the tall waving corn.\nTwas humble, 'twas lowly, but ah, it contained\nMy nearest and dearest on earth,\nAnd where'er I go, I am longing to be\nOnce more in the home of my birth.\n\nBack to the old home again, \nDown In the old country lane,\nBack to the spot I've never forgot, \nBack to the old home again.<\/em>\n\nThe green Ivy clustered around the old walls,\nThe breath of sweet flow'rs filled the air,\nThe birds built their nests in the cozy thatched roof,\nTheir songs drove away every care:\nI'd roam through the meadows, I'd climb o'er the hill,\nIn childhood's sweet innocent glee,\nMy life was all sunshine, no sorrow or care-\nOh, how I am longing to be- \n\nI've seen many lands, but no place seemed so fair\nAs that dear little old-fashioned cot;\nI've made many friends, but my dear parents' love\nI've never, no, never forgot.\nThey're anxiously waiting to welcome me home,\nThey're eager their fond love to show:\nI'm tired of the wand'ring and trials of life,\nAnd so once again I will go-<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
One of a number of sentimental songs written by Felix McGlennon<\/a> which enjoyed some success on both sides of the Atlantic . It has been collected from the singing of traditional singers both in Canada and the Shetland Isles . You can hear Andrew Poleson of Whalsay singing it on the School of Scottish studies website.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The British library<\/a> holds sheet music published in 1894, but it appears that the song was being sung as early as February 1888 by Miss Vinney Bishop :<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Feb. 11, 1888; The Era\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Miss Vinney Bishop was the stage name of Johanna Lavina Farrell (b?-1927) a performer who appeared regularly in all the major Halls  between 1876 and 1891. According to her notices she “excelled as both a singer and a dancer .”<\/em> It is difficult to get any biographical details about her, but the fact that she was represented by Hugh Didcott, one of the most successful agents, is likely to indicate that she was relatively successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not to be confused with the blackface Minstrel song: Come back to the old home again<\/em> (First Line: The mother’s heart was o’erladen with care<\/em>)which seems to have been regularly performed in the 1870s on both sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n