Blue Bell

From Music hall Memories No 20:

Blue Bell, the dawn is waking, 
Sweetheart, you must not sigh,
Blue Bell, my heart is breaking, 
I've come to say good-bye;
Hear how the bugle is calling, 
Calling to each brave heart,
Sweetheart, your tears are falling, 
Blue Bell, we two must part.

Good-bye, my Blue Bell, farewell to you,
One last fond look into my eyes so blue;
'Mid camp fires gleaming, 'mid shot and shell,
I will be dreaming of my own Blue Bell.

Blue Bell, a wrong wants righting
Brave men must risk their lives ,
Foemen in arms are fighting,
Each for the victory strives,
There on the hillside lying,
There 'mid the guns loud roar,
Blue Bell your true love's dying
Calling for you once more

Blue Bell, they are returning, 
Each greets a sweetheart, true,
Blue Bell, your heart is yearning, 
Never a one greets you,
Sadly they tell the story, 
Tell how he fought and fell,
No tho't of fame or glory, 
Only of his Blue Bell.

A sentimental song whose performance rights were not owned by any particular singer, though the Australian baritone Hamilton Hill did a lot to popularise it in British and Australian Music Halls. It was a huge hit globally in the first decade of the 20th century, sung and/or recorded by dozens of artistes, including The Haydn Quartet, Henry Burr, Frank Stanley, Kathryn Miley, Nellie Nichols, Edward B Adams, Anna Driver and Madeline Clark.

It was originally written in response to the short-lived Spanish- American war of 1898, and like Break the News to Mother was revived in later conflicts. Most sources state the song was first published 6 years after the conflict, in 1904.(Kilgarriff gives a publication date of 1898, but I have not found any corroboration for this earlier date.)

It was recorded by Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters in the late 1920s

The song’s popularity in English-speaking countries is reflected in the fact that it has been found in the repertoire of traditional singers from England, Australia, Canada and America.

Sources:

• Entries in the Roud Indexes at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:single[folksong-broadside-books]/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr%3A11331
• Kilgarrif Sing Us
• Lyrics and UK Sheet Music: Music hall Memories No 20
• Mudcat thread
• US Sheet Music: Univ of Maine
• US Sheet Music: Levy Collection
• US Sheet Music Univ of Alabama
• Ballad Index

Last Updated on October 28, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: February 4, 2024