Lyr Req: old guitar/old refrain/evening star...

Subject: Lyr Req: old guitar/old refrain/evening star...
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 12:26 PM

This is another request from my 85 year old dad, "Sparky" Hudson. He says it is an old, old one, probably meaning from before he was born, done by some guy out of Texas who went by several different names, but dad doesn't remember them.

Theses are the words he can remember:

An old guitar and an old refrain
An evening star and a winding lane...

Please note: it is NOT the song known as THE OLD REFRAIN.

Thanks for any help. He always appreciates the great people of the Mudcat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old guitar/old refrain/evening star...
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 11:53 PM

refrain

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old guitar/old refrain/evening star...
From: Joan from Wigan
Date: 26 Sep 02 - 04:28 AM

A Google search brought up 42 hits for "An Old Guitar and an Old Refrain", written in 1927 by Gus Kahn, Ben Black & Charles N Daniels (as Neil Moret), and recorded by numerous artistes. No lyrics, though, so I can't be absolutely certain it's the actual song you're looking for. An interesting post to the Forum at Seniority.co.uk from "Goodfellow" from Greater Manchester on 23rd October 2001:

"With all this reminiscing of old tunes, I wonder if anyone remembers a tune called "An old guitar and an old refrain"? I bought a job lot of records from a secondhand shop during the war, and played these records during the evening and a change from the radio, but each time I played this tune the sirens would go and off to the shelter we would go. It got so bad my Mum would threaten me with murder if I played it again. If I left it off my programme, we seemed to miss a raid. I've never heard it since but wonder if it was played as a theme tune in Afghanistan."

Joan

Subject: Lyr Add: AN OLD GUITAR AND AN OLD REFRAIN
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Sep 02 - 12:07 PM

Thanks, Joan! Dad enjoyed the posting from the other forum and says the date sounds just about right. He has also remembered the words:-), so here they are, with a tune to follow when I have the time. Now that I can record over the telephone it's so neat to call him up and have him sing one of these old songs so I can get the tune right!

AN OLD GUITAR AND AN OLD REFRAIN

An old guitar and an old refrain
An evening star and a winding lane
A shawl of lace that hid your face awhile
Until I played the song that won your smile.

A red, red rose you threw to me
Still lives and grows in my memory
Our castles gay have gone away
But these remain: an old guitar and an old refrain.