Lyr. Add: PARTING FRIENDS
John A. Stone
Air: The Drummer Boy at Waterloo

With parting friends, no tongue can tell,
No heart can feel the grief and pain,
But those who bid good-by- farewell-
Perhaps to never meet again.

But those who bid good-by- farewell-
Perhaps to never meet again.

He goes- and soon home if forgot,
No tidings of him do they hear;
His vows to write he heeds them not,
Which causes many a silent tear.

His vows to write he heeds them not
Which causes many a silent tear.

No joy the dreadful wound can heal-
The tale of sorrow dies untold-
Still o'er his mind these words will steal,
"God speed thee to the land of gold!"

Still o'er his mind these words will steal,
"God speed thee to the land of gold!"

With aching hearts and watery eyes,
In vain they look for his return;
"He's dead! he's dead!" the weeper cries-
As for the dead they for him mourn.

"He's dead! he's dead!" the weeper cries-
As for the dead they for him mourn.

John A. Stone, 1858. "Put's Golden Songster," containing the largest and most popular collection of California songs ever published, p. 8, D. E. Appleton & Co., San Francisco.

Not related to the Southern Uplands and Shape note hymn.
John A. Stone is best known for "Sweet Betsey from Pike" and "Hangtown Gals" but he composed a variety of songs. Many of these essentially are lost, found in his books of which, in some cases, only a few copies exist in historical collections.

I intend to copy here some of the songs that have not been reprinted in the California Gold Rush volumes by Dwyer and Lingenfelter, and others. I believe that they should be better known.