25th, hauled 6 cords of wood.
Verse one of JUST AS THE SUN WENT DOWN.
After the din of the battles’ roar, just at the close of day, wounded & bleeding upon the field two dying soldiers lay.
One held a ringlet of thin gray hair, one held a lock of brown. Bidding each other a last farewell, just as the sun
went down.
Verse two.
One thought of Mother at home alone, feeble & old & gray. One of the sweetheart left in town, happy & young & gay.
One kissed a ringlet of thin gray hair. One kissed a lock of brown. Bidding farewell to the stars & stripes just as
the sun went down.
Verse three.
One knew the joy of a mother’s love, one of a sweetheart fair. Thinking of home the lay side by side breathing a
farewell prayer. One for his mother, so old & gray, one for his love in town. They closed their eyes to the earth just
as the sun went down.
You can find a rendition sung by Mrs. Gladys Everly of Springfield, Misssouri, recorded on April 20, 1958, here. This is one of Jesse’s uncharacteristic entries. He does not comment on why this sentimental Victorian song is important enough to write down in his diary. He either knew the song by heart, or transcribed them from sheet music, or someone in his circle knew the song by heart. Perhaps he heard it on a phonograph.
Check out other songs from the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection at Missouri State University. Another song they have is Babes in the Woods. This is one that Mary Frances Frazier knew, and she sung it to her babies and grandbabies. Those grandbabies sang it to their kids, which is how this blogger came to know the morbid song and sang it to her own baby in the twenty-aughts. The original song dates back to 1524 and is a much longer ballad than what is popular in America. Years ago I remember one webpage author suggesting that the popular fragment that Mary sung was relevant to pioneer families warning their children to not go out too far and get lost as occasionally happened.
