Lyr Req/ADD: Only a Leaf from a Rosebud

Subject: Lyr Req: A dear faded leaf from a rose
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 02 Dec 02 - 02:08 PM

Hi, can someone please help me find the lyrics to this real old song...Thanks.
Here are the only words I have to this song,

"A dear faded leaf from a rose"
When your father was found,
dead on the ground,
in his hand he was holding a leaf,
Goodbye, God Bless you Charlie lad,
How sadly she did cry,
But while I got breath, I'll never forget,
my mothers last goodbye.

It's only a leaf, just a token of grief,
It's only a leaf of a rose,
Can ever put more joy to my heart,
They a dear faded leaf of a rose.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: MMario
Date: 02 Dec 02 - 03:00 PM

no luck out at the Levy Sheet music site.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 03 Dec 02 - 08:17 PM

Hi Mario, I'm thinking mabie this is a Irish song and it could also have a different name, like a token of grief, or my mothers last goodbye, just a guess lol, but thanks for trying. GOD BLESS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 10:03 AM

back to the top for Newfiegirl...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 08:34 AM

G'day Newfigirl,

I know that there is a good old "weepy" waltz, with song called Only the Leaf of a Rose. I play this one in a set of waltz tunes, but the story is not quite as dire as your one. In this, if I remeber correctly, the man says his love had to decide whether to marry him, for love ... or to marry a rich man, to save the family fortunes.

She would signal her intention at the ball by wearing, either a white rose for true love ... or a red rose if she would marry the rich man. The song is a reminiscence of an old lonely man, asked by his young (nephew?) about a fade (but still red) old rose petal pressed in his book!

It may be that your song is either the source ... or a derivative of this one - Is yours in waltz time?

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: IrishRM
Date: 10 Nov 05 - 03:46 PM

Hi What about ye

I have been trying to find a very similar song since the Pope was an alter boy, my Dad used to sing it and I would love to get all the words. I can only remember the following :

Only a leaf, but oh what grief,
It was worn in the days long ago,
Once it was red, now faded and dead,
and the women who wore it lies low
I was worn by a beautiful lady
She should have been my wife
Only a leaf of a rose bud
It has changed the whole course of my life

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 10 Nov 05 - 08:02 PM

G'day IrishRM,

The song you request is the one I mentioned above, 19 Dec 02 - 08:34 AM. I don't have the words with me, here at work, but I can post them from home (source: Grand-dad's Songs, a collection of the ~ late 19th century favourites).

Do you also want the tune? I should post to a separate "Lyric Add" thread ... and provide a MIDI to go with the song if it is ever "harvested" to Mudcat.

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: Janie
Date: 11 Nov 05 - 08:23 AM

PM Sinsull and call her attention to this thread. Not sure, but I think she sings this one.

Janie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 11 Nov 05 - 08:52 AM

Hi IrishRM.
Thanks very must for answering my message,
seems like we both could be searching for the same song.
God Bless.

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: ONLY A LEAF (Australian ... ?)
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Nov 05 - 04:29 AM

This was requested by GUEST: Newfiegirl, in 2002, then IrishRM in 2005:

I play a version probably only the chorus) collected as a dance tune (waltz) in Australia ... and these words come from an old Australian publication ... but I can't confirm the provenance.

Regards,

Bob

Only a Leaf
T.B. Fayme

In a broken down attic, with walls grim and bare,
Where the sunshine it seldom did stray,
On a mattress of straw, that lay on the floor,
An old man was lying one day.
They said he was dying, and clasped in his hand
Was a Bible, all withered and old —
But beneath one torn page a dead rose-leaf they found,
And this was the story it told.
Chorus: Only a leaf, ah! but what grief
          It caused in the dim long ago.
          Once it was red, now faded and dead
          And the woman that wore it laid low.
          It was worn by a beautiful angel,
          Who should have been my wife,
          Only the leaf of a rose-bud,
          But it changed the whole course of my life.

"I once had a sweetheart", the dying man said
"And also a rival, I knew;
He was neatly and grand, with wealth to command,
What wonderful things gold will do!"
I proposed and she answered "Tonight at the ball,
I'll wed you if a white rose I wear,
Ah! But if it be red, Lord Danby I'll wed",
That night this leaf fell from her hair.
Chorus: Only a leaf, ah! but what grief …

To seek consolation, I roamed o'er the sea,
And there a wild reckless life led.
Till a few weeks ago I returned to my home,
To find my lost darling was dead.
She married my rival, her father to save -
From shame and disgrace, so folks say,
And it broke his sad heart, and like this rose-leaf,
She withered and faded away.
Chorus: Only a leaf, ah! but what grief …

This is a representation of the Australian collected version of the chorus (from Harry Cotter of Binalong, NSW) … in the now "No Longer Supported by Mudcat" MIDIText format of Alan of Australia. You may have the program - and be able to extract the MIDI file (or I could email a MIDI to a privately supplied e-mail address). Anyway, the text also includes the tune in ABC Format, which can be converted to many other formats by sundry free sites and/or apps.

I have also found the full tune, as published along with the full verse and chorus words, by T.B. Fayme, in Grandad's Songs, Allans Music, Melbourne, Australia … probably before the 1950s. I bought my copy in the late '60s. Interestingly, the only web hits I could get on T.B. Fayme were on the web site of the South Street Band Contest … in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia … so I knew no more about the original composition!

If you need the full verse and chorus tune … I can transfer them to my music notation program (MusicTime) … or I could send a scan of the whole kit & kaboodle as it is published - as a seven lines of basic piano arrangement (in Bb).

MIDI file: onlyleaf.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 3/4 24 8

Tempo: 128 (468750 microsec/crotchet)

Start

0000 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0576 0 69 064 0144 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0384 0 69 064 0096 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 78 080 0192 0 78 064 0048 1 76 080 0192 0 76 064 0048 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 67 080 1296 0 67 064 0144 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 66 080 0192 0 66 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 73 080 0576 0 73 064 0144 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 73 080 0384 0 73 064 0096 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 73 080 0096 0 73 064 0024 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 66 080 1104 0 66 064 0336 1 78 080 0288 0 78 064 0072 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 78 080 0096 0 78 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 78 080 0192 0 78 064 0048 1 79 080 0192 0 79 064 0048 1 78 080 0192 0 78 064 0048 1 76 080 0576 0 76 064 0144 1 71 080 0576 0 71 064 0144 1 73 080 0384 0 73 064 0096 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 76 080 0384 0 76 064 0096 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 69 080 1296 0 69 064 0144 1 78 080 0288 0 78 064 0072 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 78 080 0096 0 78 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 78 080 0192 0 78 064 0048 1 79 080 0192 0 79 064 0048 1 78 080 0192 0 78 064 0048 1 76 080 0576 0 76 064 0144 1 71 080 0384 0 71 064 0096 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 73 080 0192 0 73 064 0048 1 79 080 0192 0 79 064 0048 1 78 080 0192 0 78 064 0048 1 76 080 0192 0 76 064 0048 1 74 080 1296 0 74 064

End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1

T:

M:3/4

Q:1/4=128

K:C

^F2G2B2|A6|^F2G2B2|A4d2|^f2e2d2|^c2d2^c2|

G6|-G6|E6|-E2^F2G2|^c6|E2A2B2|^c4B^c|d2^c2B^c|

d2^c2B2|^F6|-^F6|^f6|-^f3A^fA|^f2g2^f2|e6|

B6|^c4d2|e4^c2|A6|-A6|^f6|-^f3A^fA|^f2g2^f2|

e6|B4d2|^c2B2^c2|g2^f2e2|d6|-d19/4||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf From A Rose,old song
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Nov 05 - 04:32 AM

G'day IrichRM (and GUEST:Newfiegirl .. if you are still out there!),

I've posted the words ... and the dance version (probably just chorus ... ) which I play - to this thread:

Only a Leaf.

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: Uke
Date: 12 Nov 05 - 03:10 PM

Bob, this song is known in New Zealand too, from the 1920s era.
I recently talked to a lady (aged 92) whose father wrote a trade union parody of 'Only a Leaf' around this time and she remembered the song.

It could be that T.B. Fayme was a British composer. There are three separate sheet-music songs by Fayme in the British Library catalogue: Only a leaf, His Charity Covers his Sin & Ride-a-cock Horse. These are dated between 1898-1905 and all published in London (apart from one which is a pirate edition). To check these click:

Here

'Grandad's Songs' I believe is mid-1930s - my copy has a 1934 copyright notice.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Nov 05 - 07:09 AM

G'day Uke,

I did notice the MCMXXXIX copyright on p.2 ... but took, in passing, it as their copyright on that arrangement of The Wild Colonial Boy. On more careful inspection I see that there are no copyright dates on the songs - so the p.2 claim must be for the book. My edition is obviously (from the style) a later issue of the same collection. It looks very '50s!

It's puzzling that I get no other web hits on T. B. Fayme ... even on "Fayme + composer". I can't follow up your 'Blicky' as that takes me to your password-controlled login. I'll try a separate approach with "His Charity Covers his Sin + Fayme" ( ... and, maybe British Library).

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: Uke
Date: 13 Nov 05 - 02:29 PM

Bob, Yeah I see that doesn't work now for me either. To go to the main search page of the British Library this might work. Anyone can seach online through this - cause I don't have a password login! I searched for Only a Leaf as the title, matching all the words, and then clicked on the author to bring up all their records. I notice now that the BL sheet music is published by Francis, Day and Hunter, who were definitely connected with Allan and Co., the publisher of "Grandad's Songs". There's quite a few identical song collections they each published separately, like "Hillbilly Album" No.s 1-3.

My copy of "grandad's songs" is definitely 30s vintage. But the local library has a 1970s reprint, so it's remained popular.

I wonder if his 'Ride-a-Cock Horse' is an arrangement of the nursery rhyme...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 Nov 05 - 03:32 PM

A piano arrangement by John Crook, published in Melbourne by Allan & Co, probably between 1900 and 1907, can be seen at the National Library of Australia, Digital Collections: http://www.nla.gov.au/digicoll/:


http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-an12938515

The cover describes it as "the most popular waltz of the century".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 09:15 AM

The sheet music can be seen here: http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-vn2989960-s32.

It was published as part of "Allan's Melbourne musical magazine No. 5." The only date I see is the date of the whole series: 1890 – 1900.

It says: "Written by J. Harrington. Composed by Joe Slater" – which is a bit puzzling.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: Uke
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 03:23 PM

That is interesting... although the other NLA piece of sheet music states it is an arrangement by John Crook "on the Famous melodies by J. Slater & T.B. Fayme."

The Crook arrangement is quite long, and perhaps contains a "trio" or another melody apart from the standard verse/chorus of "Only a Leaf". Also, the "Magazine No. 5" version says the copyright is held by Slater in Sydney. Perhaps either he or Fayme were falsely claiming authorship? Who exactly wrote what is a puzzle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Only a Leaf (Australian ... ?)
From: GUEST,frankie
Date: 01 Jan 10 - 06:55 AM

Just saw these comments. TB Fayme was my Great Grandfather. His real name was Tom Bapty Sharp from Leeds, Yorkshire, UK. Funny reading all your comments.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Dear Faded Leaf from a Rose
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 11:03 AM

[e-mail]    hi i.d love to find out were i can get the above song for a friend of mine her dad was a great singer who always sang this unfortunatly he has passed away , i would love to get this song for her or were she . can buy a cd. of the leaf look foward to your reply p alexander

Subject: Lyr Add: ONLY A LEAF (FROM A ROSEBUD)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Apr 10 - 12:42 AM

Here's my transcription from an archival sound recording at the British Library,
Sung by John Hodson of Aldborough, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK, in 1972.


ONLY A LEAF FROM A ROSEBUD

1. In a broken-down attic with walls dim and bare,
Where the sunshine it never did stray,
Haggard and worn on a mattress of straw,
An old man lay dying one day.
They said he was dying, and clasped in his arms
Was a book that was withered and old,
And in it a leaf, a little rose leaf,
But ah! what a story it told!

CHORUS: Only a leaf, ah, but what grief it caused in the days long ago!
Once it was red. Now it's faded and dead, and the woman who wore it lies low.
She was a beautiful angel. She should have been my wife.
Only a leaf from a rosebud, it changed the whole course of my life.

2. "I once had a sweetheart," the dying man said.
"I'd also a rival, I knew.
He was wealthy and grand, the lord of the land.
What wonderful things gold can do!
I recall when she answered, 'Tonight at the ball,
If I wed you, a white rose I'll wear,
But if it be red, Sir Charles I must wed.'
That night a leaf fell from her hair.

3. "Now to seek consolation, I sailed o'er the foam,
And four years a reckless life led.
At last I returned to my own native land
To find my life's darling was dead.
She'd married my rival, her father to save
From ruin and shame, so folks say,
And it broke her poor heart, and like this rose leaf,
She withered and faded away."

Subject: Lyr Add: ONLY THE LEAF OF A ROSEBUD (Tom Armstrong
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Jan 13 - 07:09 PM

A different song with the same title/theme:

From the sheet music at National Library of Australia:


ONLY THE LEAF OF A ROSEBUD
Words and music by Tom Armstrong
Melbourne : Dinsdale's Music Pub. House, [191-?]

1. Why don't I smile once in a while? Why am I always sad?
Well, I suppose it's just this rose and a sweetheart once I had.
She was my life; I made her my wife; now I am all bereft.
It's ten years today since she went away and this rosebud was all that she left.

CHORUS: Only the leaf of a rosebud,
Once fragrant, now faded and dead;
Only the leaf of a rosebud
She wore on the day we were wed;
Only a fond recollection,
A mem'ry of past happy days;
Only the leaf of a rosebud,
An emblem of parted ways.

2. Tho' we're apart, deep in my heart, I love her just the same.
Ofttimes I yearn for her return and to hear her speak my name.
What would I give could I but live rapt in her love's repose!
A voice seems to say, she'll come back someday, and that's why I cherish this rose.

Subject: Lyr Add: ONLY A LEAF (Slater/Fayme)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Jan 13 - 07:50 PM

The National Library of Australia also has this sheet music, but this arrangement only has lyrics for the chorus, not the verses:

ONLY A LEAF
"Arranged by John Crook on the famous melodies by J. Slater & T. B. Fayme."

Melbourne: Allan & Co., [190-]

Only a leaf, ah! but what grief it caused in the dim long ago.
Once it was red; now faded and dead and the woman that wore it laid low.
It was worn by a beautiful angel who should have been my wife,
Only the leaf of a rosebud, but it changed the whole course of my life.