Add Tune/Verse: Old Dog Tray

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: OLD DOG TRAY (Stephen C. Foster)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 02 Oct 07 - 09:22 AM

The tune for Old Dog Tray cropped up in the thread ADD: Happy Miner/Unhappy Miner (Old Put) where it is cited as the tune for The Unhappy Miner. Although the lyrics are in the DT: Old Dog Tray, there is no tune there, nor is there one in Mudcat Midis, so I'm posting the tune here. The source was sheet music at Levy: Old Dog Tray at Levy. The sheet music there also has one extra verse compared to that in the DT, so I give the full text from Levy also.

Mick

---

OLD DOG TRAY
(Stephen C. Foster)

The morn of life is past, And evening comes at last:
It brings me a dream of a once happy day
Of merry forms I've seen, Upon the village green,
Sporting with my old dog Tray.
  Old dog Tray's ever faithful,
  Grief cannot drive him a-way;
  He's gentle, he is kind, I'll never, never find
  A better friend than old dog Tray.

The forms I called my own Have vanished one by one,
The loved ones, the dear ones have all passed away,
Their happy smiles have flown Their gentle voices gone,
I've nothing left but old dog Tray.
  Old dog Tray's ever faithful,
  Grief cannot drive him a-way;
  He's gentle, he is kind, I'll never, never find
  A better friend than old dog Tray.

When thoughts recall the past His eyes are on me cast;
I know that he feels what my drooping heart would say:
Although he cannot speak, I'll vainly, vainly seek
A better friend than old dog Tray.
  Old dog Tray's ever faithful,
  Grief cannot drive him a-way;
  He's gentle, he is kind, I'll never, never find
  A better friend than old dog Tray.

---

X:1
T:Old Dog Tray
C:Stephen C. Foster
L:1/8
M:C
K:A
"^Andante"
zE|EAGA B2 zB|cBGE E2
w:The morn of life is past, And eve-ning comes at last:
zc|c2 Bc e2 dB|A2 Ac B2
w:It brings me a dream of a once hap-py day
zE|EAGA B2 zB|c>BGE c3 z|
w:Of mer-ry forms I've seen, Up-on the vil-lage green,
cdFB A2 G2|A6 z2||
w:Sport-ing with my old dog Tray.
e2 B2 B2 Bc|A4 E2 z2|
w:Old dog Tray's ev-er faith-ful,
e2 BB B2 A>B|c6
w:Grief can-not drive him a-way;
zE|EAGA B2 zB|cBGE c2
w:He's gen-tle, he is kind, I'll nev-er, nev-er find
zc|cdFB A2 G2|A6||
w:A bet-ter friend than old dog Tray.

Subject: Add: Old Dog Tray (Parody)
From: GUEST,Young Buchan
Date: 04 Oct 07 - 10:48 AM

When you have the tune, you may prefer to sing this! Don't know the origin - possibly Australian

Unless my watch is fast the morning is now past
And to speak of noon is too late in the day.
I'm feeling very bad and my heart is very sad -
I'm thinking of my old dog Tray.
Old dog Tray was ever faithful
But disaster came upon him one fine day
For those governmental hacks would insist upon the tax
Which was fatal to my old dog Tray.

He was very good with cats and a mortal foe to rats
More like a brother than I care to say;
But five shillings every year for a dog is very dear –
It was too much for my old dog Tray.
Old dog Tray he got a plateful
Of meat and potato one fine day;
But among that savoury mass I hid a dose of Prussic Ac -i- id
Which was fatal to my old dog Tray.

They bore him from my sight and it did upset me quite
And very soon I wasted near away;
From every meal I turned and all my food I spurned
From thinking of my old dog Tray.
But old dog Tray I met again though
When I started to eat again one day
For in Tesco's mutton pies I've come to recognise
The flavour of my old dog Tray.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: Old Dog Tray
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Oct 07 - 12:51 PM

As I recall there was a "POGO" parody of this song as well.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Add Tune/Verse: Old Dog Tray
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Oct 07 - 03:12 PM

Good midis and mp3, including guitar version, here:
http://www.stephen-foster-songs.de/Foster23.htm

The 1854 guitar version has 'drooping heart,' the 1853 "Foster's American Melodies no. 21" has 'breaking heart;' (3rd verse line 2). Both at Levy.

Subject: RE: Add Tune/Verse: Old Dog Tray
From: Joybell
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 01:30 AM

The parody version is well known here in Australia. The original less well known. A friend of ours collected it somewhere here. He didn't know it was based on the Stephen Foster song until we told him.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Add Tune/Verse: Old Dog Tray
From: GUEST,Blanche
Date: 05 Oct 07 - 05:51 AM

Tray, Sweetheart, R.I.P.