Dear Florence | Mary’s Song from Hayes’s Ballads (Petrie’s “All Alive”)

A village girl named Mary proudly sings of her faithful Florence – poor in pocket but rich in love. Taken straight from Hayes’s Irish Ballads, set to the famous Petrie air “All Alive” (one of Carolan’s own compositions). One sweet female voice and a dancing parlor piano, exactly as Irish girls once sang it about their own true-hearted lads.

[Verse 1]
Dear Florence, his heart is so loving and gay,
And his blue eyes would dazzle dark sorrow away,
And his voice, full of music, ’tis sweet as can be,
But sweetest when talking low love-words to me.
Oh! light is the step with which Florence goes by,
And kind-ly his glance as a smile from the sky,
And ready his hand is to give, or to aid,
And faithful his heart to his own Irish maid.

[Verse 2]
Most girls in the village are richer than I,
And many a fairer walks under the sky,
But little he heeded, for Florence well knew
That never a heart beat more loving and true.
And once, when my sister just bid me good-night,
And spoke of his beauty so gladdening and bright,
I thought - there’s a dearer than all you have said -
’Tis the love in his heart for his poor Irish maid.

[Verse 3]
For, though Florence is courtly to win and to please,
And gay as the skylark, and kind as the breeze,
Alas! for my weak thoughts, most fondly they twine
Round the frank, loving heart that is plighted to mine.
My Florence, thy heart is both loving and gay,
And thy blue eyes would banish dark sorrow away,
And thy voice, full of music, ’tis sweet as can be,
But sweetest when talking low love-words to me.

[Final Verse]
Dear Florence, his heart is so loving and gay…

Perfect for anyone whose heart chose love over gold.

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