Hello:

I learned from my sisters only the melody and remember some lyrics to a song that Jenifer Cutting at the Library of Congress Folklife Center said was a composed, not a traditional song. My sisters only recall after so many years the same lyrics I do. I'm creating my debut CD of solo piano and need very badly need to finally, after many many hours of internet search and after singing it to Jenifer and Dr. Bill McNeal at the Folk Arts Center in Mountainview Arkansas, find it as I must really know if it is Public Domain or not. No one has had any luck so far; and now I'm ready to send my material to the duplicators yet I am held up until I really know the composer. Also for myself it would be nice to have all the lyrics and finally for the first time in my life know the name of this basically long lost song. The only lyrics I know for sure are just a few, yet I've always known the entire simple melody and played it on piano and harmonica over the years.

I will include the piano notes in parenthesis after each word I remember. It's simple and in the key of C basically.

"don't(E) you(F) sigh(G), don't(E) you(F) cry(G) don't(E) you(F) lie(G) awake(A,G) at(F) night(E) yes(D) my(E) dear(F) old(D) Laura(C,B) Lee(C)

without the notes... "don't you sigh, don't you cry, don't you lie awake at night, yes my dear old Laura Lee".

Any help would be very greatly appreciated. It's not Stephen Foster's "Laura Lee", it's not "Aura Lee", nor is it the song from 1915 about love at orange blossom time. I've also not had much luck with "Loralei" either. I very much look forward to hearing any clues from anyone.

Most Sincerely
Mike Jensen