A 1859 minstrel show ballad heavy on nostalgia.
words and music by John Fletcher
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Werner Tomaschewski:
Lyrics
- In the sky the bright stars glittered
On the grass the moonlight fell
Hushed the sound of daylight bustle
Closed the pink-eyed pimpernell
As adown the moss grown wood path
Where the cattle love to roam
From an august evening party
I was seeing Nelly home
Chorus
In the sky the bright stars glittered
On the grass the moonlight shone
From an august evening party
I was seeing Nelly home
- When the autumn tinged the greenwood
Turning all its leaves to the gold
In the lawn by elders shaded
I my love to Nelly told
As we stood together gazing
On the star-bespangled dome
How I blessed the august evening
When I saw sweet Nelly home - White hairs mingled with my tresses
Furrows steal upon my brow
But a love smile cheers and blesses
Life’s declining moments now
Matron in the snowy kerchief
Closer to my bosom come
Tell me do’st thou still remember
When I saw sweet Nelly home
Sung here by Fred Feild: