Skylark! Skylark!

AKA The boy’s message
First Published 1902
Writer/composer EW Rogers Roud RN24501 and 29923 and V11027

Music Hall Performers Arthur Lennard
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
Baker, Arthur ; England : Hampshire		 

Music Hall Memories No. 19

"Skylark" said a dear little boy.
Pray, where do you go when you fly so high?
Skylark, say, it is true
That you sing to the angels in the sky?
If so, my Mother's an angel up there.
And we do miss her so, you see
So would you please, the next time you go up,
Take this message from Dad and me".

Skylark! Skylark! winging your flight so high,
Skylark! Skylark! when you get up in the sky,
If among the angels Mother you should see,
Ask her if she will come down again
To poor dear Daddy and me.

Skylark!  'Twas a message of love
Pathetic enough for an angel's tear
Skylark trilled it in song
And it reached to the angel-mother's ear
God must have heard for that night in his sleep
The boy smiled and said "Mother Dear
I knew you'd come to your own little boy
If my message you got to hear."

"Skylark!" said a desolate man
Your message has robbed me of my dear boy.
Skylark, death's angel came
And took up to Heaven my pride and joy.
Don't sing today for each beautiful note
Seems to bring back the days gone by.
The wife I adored, and the darling who gave you
That message to sing on high."

A popular sentimental song from the early 20th century remembered by a least one traditional singer. It was originally performed in the Halls by Arthur Lennard (sometimes spelt Leonard), written and composed by  EW Rogers  who later came up with a similar song about a young girl asking a Seagull to take a message to her daddy.

Arthur Lennard (1867-1954) was a comic singer born in Plumstead, London. He was a well-known star of Music Halls and pantomimes for over 40 years. He first appeared at the Royal Holborn in late 1887 and was still performing in the 1920s. His tenor voice was much admired and his material included both broad comic songs and serious ballads.

Here’s an Edison Bell Cylinder recording of Lennard singing Skylark, with unknown friends providing the voice of the boy and birdsong:

Arthur “Leonard”, British Edison-Bell Indestructible cylinder #5911 archive.org

Another early recording by Will F Denny

Sources: