Crowhugger mentioned this on 17-Jun-2012:


OH! WHAT A DIFFERENCE SINCE THE HYDRO CAME
Words and music by Claud L. Graves, ©1912.

1. Strolling though the park, strolling after dark,
While the moon is peeping o'er the hilltops,
Strolling with the girl who has a mortgage on your heart,
Who pierced it through with Cupid's little dart,
In the fragrant breeze, there beneath the trees,
Someone whispers, "Dearie, how I love you!"
Then to be a tease, her hand you gently squeeze.
Oh! what joy, what bliss, to fold her in your arms and kiss!

CHORUS: But oh! what a diff'rence since the hydro came!
Cosy little corners don't look just the same.
Ev'rywhere a light now is shining bright.
Oh, oh, oh! can't tell day from night,
And when you go a-strolling with your lady love,
Don't forget the hydro shining bright above.
You daresn't try to kiss her; the hydro is to blame.
So, oh! what a diff'rence since the hydro came!

2. Now our lovers true don't know what to do.
Seems as though their spooning days are ended.
Cosy corners of the past no longer seem a lark,
For there's no chance of spooning in the dark.
It is strange but true: ev'ryone feels blue,
And their hearts will never be contented.
Hydro light's to blame, and it just seems a shame.
Think of joys you miss; there used to be a chance to kiss. CHORUS

[I found two recordings on Spotify: by Mary Lou Fallis, on "Primadonna on a Moose" (1997) and by Russell Braun on "Le Souvenir: Canadian Songs for Parlour and Stage" (2012).]