Lyr Req: Treasures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)

Subject: ' Treaures Untold' Lyrics
From: Seth
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 08:36 PM

I'm looking for the Lyrics to "treasures Untold" , a song written by Jimmie Rodgers, covered by Doc Watson and and also Merle Haggard. Thanks Seth from China

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: ' Treasures Untold' Lyrics
From: Gene
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 12:06 AM

TREASURES UNTOLD
Writers: Rodgers & Cossens

Dreaming of you and your eyes so blue
I've loved you forever it seems
Longed for you dear and wanted you near
You are the girl of my dreams
And tho I have met you just now
I'll tell you of my love somehow

If I could but win your heart little girl
Then I would have TREASURES UNTOLD
The kisses that we shared in my sweetest dreams
Are even more precious than gold
How I love sweet face and your dear smiling eyes
So often the story's been told
And if I could but win your heart little girl
Then I would have TREASURES UNTOLD

SOURCE: ELEMENTARY DOCTOR WATSON!
1972 POPPY INDUSTRIES, INC. PYS-5703

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: ' Treaures Untold' Lyrics
From: Gene
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 12:09 AM

Doc Watson Discography and some lyrics at

* CLICK HERE/DOC WATSON *

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Alley
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 09:25 AM

Found the lyrics to this song submitted by Gene. Would anyone happen to have the guitar chords for it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: pdq
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 11:41 AM

The style of this song is classic Tin Pan Alley popular music, not the Folk-blues that Jimmie Rodgers was famous for.

It is almost certain that Ellsworth T. Cozzens was entirely responsible for it's writing, probably before he had even met Rodgers.

Many song writers have chosen to give credit to big "stars" like Jimmy Davis, Gene Autry and Pee Wee King because they did not have to figure out the complex system of copyright protection.

Also, quit sure that 1/2 of a Jimmie Rodgers song was worth more the a whole Ellsworth T. Cozzens song.

Trivia: Cozzens was Dobro genius Mike Auldrige's uncle.

Subject: Chords Add: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: 12-stringer
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 01:47 PM

From the sheet music, in G:

[G]Dreaming of you and your [Am] eyes [E7]of [Am]blue
I've [D7]loved you forever it [G]seems [G7]
I have [C]longed for you [Cm] dear, [G]wanted you [E7]near
[A7]You are the girl of my [D7]dreams
Altho' I have met you [F#]just [G]now
[D dim]I'll [A7]tell you of my love some[D7]how
If [G]I could but win your [Am7]heart little [D7]girl
Then I [Am7]would have [D7]treasure un[G]told
The [B7]kisses you give me in life's [Em]sweetest dreams
[Em7]Are [A7]even more precious than [D7]gold
I love your sweet face and your [G]dear smiling eyes
How [B7]often this story's been [C]told [E7]
If [Am]I could but [C#dim]win your [G] heart, little [E7]girl
Then [A7]I would have [D7]treasure un[G]told.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Alley
Date: 08 Feb 08 - 08:48 AM

Hi 12 stringer, You made my day. I have been looking for the guitar chords to this song forever - with no luck. Wish I had the ability to figure these things out for myself. Where did you find the sheet music? I'd like to have a copy. Again, thanks so much.

      Alley

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: 12-stringer
Date: 08 Feb 08 - 01:11 PM

from "The Legendary Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Folio," Vol 1 (1967). Cost all of $2.95 back in the day and has 53 Rodgers songs with melody lines and guitar chords.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Alley
Date: 08 Feb 08 - 03:41 PM

Thanks again 12stringer. I'm on a mission to find the Jimmie Rodgers music. Can't tell you how happy I am to have found this. You really did make my day!

            Alley

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Alley
Date: 09 Feb 08 - 11:11 AM

Greetings: Have been on the computer all morning looking for Legendary Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Folio, Vol. 1, (1967) Seems I can find everything else but this particular book. The other books do not have "Treasures Untold" in the list of songs. Perhaps this book is no longer in print. Thanks for your help.

      Alley

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Gene
Date: 09 Feb 08 - 07:03 PM

I also have those 2 RCA sheet music books of Jimmie Rodgers songs...but many of the chords in the sheet music,

***YOU WILL NOT FIND ON JIMMIE RODGERS RECORDS***

As in the case of many of the sheet music books, the arranger
adds his own interpretation of the song...

To coin a phrase used often by my pal, Old Hank and Jimmie
never SANG it that way.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Alley
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 10:01 AM

Greetings, again: Hate to be such a nuisance about this, but could you give me the information about publisher, date, etc. so I could try and find this book. Sure would appreciate it. Many thanks.

      Alley

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: pdq
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 01:02 PM

publisher seems to be Peer Music...published in 1967, as stated above

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treaures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: 12-stringer
Date: 10 Feb 08 - 01:22 PM

It's published by Peer International, who still control copyright on all the Jimmie Rodgers songs. Publication date was 1967 and I doubt it is still available except maybe as a used book. A friend who had a duplicate gave me his extra copy in 1970 or 1971. I've never owned or even seen the "Memorial Collection Vol 2," though it's advertised in Vol 1 and the ad includes the contents list for it.

Evidently publishing rights to the Rodgers library have been farmed out by Peer to Hal Leonard Music (www.halleonard.com is their website). Leonard offers a couple of Rodgers songbooks but their web catalog doesn't give a full list of titles in either volume. Looks like between them they'd still fall about 20 songs short of including the full Rodgers song catalog.

See also here:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=jimmie+rodgers&bsi=30&sortby=2&x=0&y=0&prevpage=1

The first 2 items on this page at abebooks (as of today, 10/02/08) are for a 1940s song folio which explicitly does include "Treasure" and for the "Memorial Collection Vol 1," both on the pricey side ($35 each), from a couple of different booksellers. If you do a search on abebooks for "Jimmie Rodgers" as author, you'll find a number of 1940s folios from Peer. These, I believe, all feature both piano arrangements and guitar chords. (I have a copy of the 1943 "Jimmie Rodgers Album of Songs," which I bought new in the middle 1960s, and this is its nature.) None of the listings give full titles for the 1940s collections; "Treasure," e.g., isn't in the 1943 "JR Album" that I have but is likely to be in one of the others. Over the years Peer packaged the 100+ songs in the JR library into various combinations.

Hope this is some help!

Subject: Chords Add: TREASURES UNTOLD (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Gene
Date: 12 Feb 08 - 09:26 PM

Try this arrangement...

[G] Dreaming of you and your [A7] eyes of blue
   I've [D7] loved you forever it [G] seems
I have [C] longed for you dear and [G] wanted you [E7] near
   [A7] You are the girl of my [D7] dreams
And though I have met you just [G] now [E7]
   I'll [A7] tell you of my love some [D7] how
If [G] I could but win your [A7] heart little [D7] girl
   Then I would have treasure un-[G]-told

The [B7] kisses you give me in [Em] life's sweetest dreams
   Are [A7] even more precious than [D7] gold
I love your sweet face and your [G] dear smiling eyes
   How [B7] often this story's been [C] told
If I could but [Eb7] win your [G] heart little [E7] girl
Then [A7] I would have [D7] treasure un-[G]-told.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treasures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Alley
Date: 13 Feb 08 - 09:30 AM

Gene: Thanks so much for the chords. I like them a lot. Did make one change, however. A C#dim is much easier for me than the Bb7. Really appreciate you help. Many thanks.

    Alley

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treasures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,Carol
Date: 20 Dec 10 - 06:21 PM

Ellsworth Cozzens did write "Treasure Untold" and there are more lyrics that don't appear in any of the searches I've made. Yes, he is Mike Auldridge's uncle--also mine!

Subject: Lyr Add: TREASURES UNTOLD (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Dec 10 - 02:34 PM

I have checked these lyrics against the recording at YouTube, and boldfaced the differences between these and the ones given above. Note that while the title has "Treasures" the lyrics clearly have "treasure."


TREASURES UNTOLD
(Jimmie Rodgers—Ellsworth T. Cozzens)
As recorded by Jimmie Rodgers on Victor 21433-A, February 14, 1928.

Dreaming of you and your eyes of blue,
I've loved you forever it seems.
I have longed for you, dear, and wanted you near.
You are the girl of my dreams.
And though I have met you just now,
I'll tell you of my love somehow.

If I could but win your heart, little girl,
Then I would have treasure untold.
The kisses you give me in life's sweetest dreams
Are even more precious than gold.
I love your sweet face and your dear smiling eyes.
How often this story's been told!
If I could but win your heart, little girl,
Then I would have treasure untold.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treasures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Dec 10 - 03:40 PM

Thanks to all those who brought this song to my attention. I've listened to the YouTube recording and have made a MIDI of it.

That's quite a composition. When you get past the minimalist production, it sounds like a Viennese waltz in the tradition of Strauss and Franz Lehar.

I believe that the problematic measures (those that have unusual chromatics) could be dealt with by making a bass run or by omitting one note of the chord, whichever note is discordant. In other words, don't go for elaborate, unusual chords. Simplify instead.

The tonic and the fifth will get you past many a sticky wicket.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Treasures Untold (Jimmie Rodgers)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Dec 10 - 03:31 PM

There's good news and bad news. The good news is that it's coming together as a nice waltz. The bad news is that certain phrases remind of 'She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage.'

Thank goodness for the folk process. Artful omission of a note here and there does a lot to banish The Bird.