Lyr Add: Absent Friends and You, Mary (W. Spicer)

Subject: Lyr Add: ABSENT FRIENDS AND YOU, MARY (W. Spicer)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Aug 22 - 02:11 PM

I found this song mentioned in The Traditional Ballad Index. Apparently, it has not been posed at Mudcat before.

Park Benjamin, ed., The New World: A Weekly Family Journal of Popular Literature, Science, Art and News, Vol. 6, No. 9 (New York: J. Winchester, Saturday, March 11, 1843), page 291:


LINES FROM ABROAD.
BY W. F. S. OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

[1] I’ve wandered many a league—Mary,
Since last with you I met,
And many more about the world,
’Tis will’d I wander yet.
Yet though I’m borne from clime, to clime,
Where all seems strange and new,
My thoughts steal back to “Old Lang Syne,”
To absent friends and you—Mary!
To absent friends and you.

[2] Another year since last we met,
Old Time has sped along,
Another term of hope, regret—
Of gleefulness and song:
Old Forty-one has passed away,
But yet in forty-two
My truant thoughts will backward stray
To absent friends and you, Mary!
To absent friends and you.

[3] Though change of scene in foreign land
Seems pleasant for a while,
The pressure of the stranger* hand
And welcome, may beguile:
Yet give me back my native home,
With all that’s prized and true,
And I would wish no more to roam,
From absent friends and you, Mary!
From absent friends and you.

[4] And now, my gentle friend, good bye!
Calm blessings light your way,
Life’s moments pass without a sigh,
Hope never know decay:
And sometimes while in joyousness,
The past flits by your view,
Remember one who often thinks
Of absent friends and you, Mary!
Of absent friends and you.

- - -
* I believe this should be "stranger's". See below.

Subject: Lyr Add: ABSENT FRIENDS AND YOU, MARY (W. Spicer)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Aug 22 - 02:31 PM

The same song appears with musical notation for one voice and piano, in Naval Songs: A Collection of Original, Selected, and Traditional Sea Songs (New York: Wm. A. Pond, 1883), page 14.

I have boldfaced the words that are different from the above version.


ABSENT FRIENDS AND YOU, MARY.
[Words and music by] Commodore Spicer, U. S. Navy.

1. I’ve wandered many a league, Mary,
Since last with you I met,
And many more about the world,
’Tis willed I wander yet;
But though I’m borne from clime to clime,
Where all seems strange and new,
Remembrance brings each happier time,
With absent friends and you, Mary,
With absent friends and you.

2. Tho’ brief the time that haply made
Acquainted you and I,
Within my breast are gently laid
Thoughts which will never die;
They mingle with the brightest dream,
That e’er my mem’ry knew,
And fancy brings again the scene
Of absent friends and you, Mary,
Of absent friends and you.

3. Tho’ change of scene in foreign land
Seems pleasant for a while,
The pressure of the stranger’s hand,
And welcome may beguile;
Yet give me back my kindred home,
With all that’s prized and true,
And I no more would wish to roam
From absent friends and you, Mary,
From absent friends and you.

4. Another year has yet its way
Of cheerlessness to flee,
Ere homeward bound my barque shall stray
In gladness o’er the sea;
Yet while ’neath stranger skies I cruise,
And joys be e’er so few,
A solace still ’twill be to muse
On absent friends and you, Mary,
On absent friends and you.

5. And now, my gentle friend, good-bye,
Calm blessings light your way,
Life’s moments pass without a sigh,
Hope never knew* decay;
And sometimes, while in joyousness,
The past flits by your view,
Remember one who often thinks
Of absent friends and you, Mary,
Of absent friends and you.

- - -
* I think “know” fits better; then the whole stanza (except a dependent clause) is in the subjunctive: “[May] calm blessings light … [May] life’s moments pass … [May] hope never know … [May you] remember….”

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Absent Friends and You, Mary (W. Spicer)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Aug 22 - 02:32 PM

A musical arrangement can also be seen in:
The Most Popular Songs of Patriotism (New York: Hinds, Hayden & Elldredge, 1916), page 72.


The author, William Francis Spicer, has been mentioned in biographical encyclopedias as the author of ABSENT FRIENDS AND YOU, MARY, as well as several other naval songs. See:

James Grant Wilson, John Fiske, eds., Appleton's Cyclopædia of American Biography, Vol. 5 (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1888), page 631.

Thomas William Herringshaw, ed., Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography (Chicago: American Publishers’ Association, 1914), page 298.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Absent Friends and You, Mary (W. Spicer)
From: leeneia
Date: 31 Aug 22 - 06:23 PM

JIm, thanks for bringing this song back to light. It has an intriguing tune and an interesting theme. I've copied the music from 'The Most Popular Songs of Patriotism' into my Noteworthy program, and I think I'll do it at the next Mudcat singaround.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Absent Friends and You, Mary (W. Spicer)
From: leeneia
Date: 03 Sep 22 - 01:48 PM

I'm curious, Jim. How did you come across this song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Absent Friends and You, Mary (W. Spicer)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 07:57 PM

Leeneia: As I said in the first message, it's in the Traditional Ballad Index. (See the link there.) Lately, I've been corresponding with Robert Waltz and David Engle, and I've been methodically going through the index and researching songs to find sources. When I find something new (that is, something old that they don't know about) I notify them, and they plan to incorporate the information into their database. At the same time, I check Mudcat to see if these songs have been documented here, and I add them if they're not. Thanks for asking.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Absent Friends and You, Mary (W. Spicer)
From: leeneia
Date: 06 Sep 22 - 01:35 PM

I see, I see. Funny - I've never thought of somebody starting with the Ballad Index, but as you have shown, it can be done.