Lyr Req: Only a Message from Home Sweet Home

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Only a Message from Home Sweet Home
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Jun 10 - 08:55 PM

The Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project has a recording of ONLY A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME by the Edison Male Quartet from 1906. Click to play.

They sing only the first verse, then the chorus twice. Only a few words are different from the sheet music:

1. 'Twas in a gay resort one night there met a reckless crew,
When one said to another, "Jack, this letter came for you."
"It must be from a sweetheart, boys," said one among the crowd.
With laugh and jest they gathered 'round and Jack replied aloud:

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Only a Message from Home Sweet Home
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Jun 10 - 08:48 PM

The Online 78-rpm Discography Project lists the following recordings:

[I'm not sure these are all the same song, or that they're even related; I selected them only for the similarity of their titles.]

Haydn Quartet, ONLY A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME, Victor 4561, 1905.
Haydn Quartet, ONLY A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME, Victor 16801, 1910.
Charles Nabell, THE LETTER FROM HOME SWEET HOME, Okeh 40252, 1924.
Ted Chestnut (a.k.a. Cal Turner), LETTER FROM HOME, Gennet 6480, 1928.
Alex Gordon, A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME, Conqueror 7269, 1929.
Billy Vest, A MESSAGE FROM HOME, Columbia 15602D, 1930.
Asa Martin & James Roberts, A LETTER FROM HOME SWEET HOME, Banner 32703, 1933.
Christine Rangers, A MESSAGE FROM HOME, Decca 5935, 1941.
Connie Boswell, JUST A LETTER FROM HOME, Decca 18483B, 1942.
Hank Penny, A LETTER FROM HOME, Decca 29597, 1955.

Subject: Lyr Add: ONLY A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Jun 10 - 08:23 PM

From the sheet music at Indiana University:


ONLY A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME
Words by Carroll Fleming. Music by Edmond N. Florant.
New York: M. Witmark & Sons, copyright 1905.

1. Out on a western ranch one night there met a reckless crew,
When one said to another, "Jack, this letter came for you."
"I s'pose it's from a sweetheart, boys," said one among the crowd.
With laugh and jest they gathered 'round and Jack replied aloud:

CHORUS: It's only a message from home sweet home, from loved ones down on the farm,
Fond wife and mother, sister and brother, praying to guard me from harm.
And baby is lisping a prayer tonight to bless me where'er I roam.
"We'll welcome you, Jack, if you'll only come back," was the message from home sweet home.

2. "I'm going, boys. Goodnight," said Jack. "I know you'll understand."
Then one by one his comrades came and shook him by the hand.
Said one, "If we had homes like that, we'd all be better men.
And now before you go, just read that letter once again."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Only a Message From Home, Sweet Home
From: RangerSteve
Date: 03 Jul 03 - 09:14 AM

Thanks, that's the song. I just got the Frank Jenkins cd on Document, picked it up at the post office a few days ago, and it's still in my car. I'll have to listen to it today. Sometimes, his records are a little hard to understand, so thanks, Stewie, for figuring them out for me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Only a Message From Home, Sweet Home
From: masato sakurai
Date: 02 Jul 03 - 07:44 PM

Previous threads are:

Lyr Req: message from home

Lyr Req: A letter from home.......

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Only a Message From Home, Sweet Home
From: masato sakurai
Date: 02 Jul 03 - 02:52 AM

The Virtual Gramophone had a recording of "Only a Message From Home Sweet Home" (rec.1905) sung by Harry Macdonough and the Haydn Quartet (Click here). I think the song was posted before in the forum (the Lyrics & Knowledge Search doesn't work at present).

~Masato

Subject: Lyr Add: A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME
From: Stewie
Date: 02 Jul 03 - 01:56 AM

Steve, here is how I hear the recording by Frank Jenkins' Pilot Mountainers:

A MESSAGE FROM HOME SWEET HOME

Out on a western range one night I met a reckless crew
One cowboy said to another, 'Jack, there's a letter here for you'
'I suppose it's from a sweetheart, boys,' came a rough voice from out in the crowd
With a laugh and a jeer they gathered round while Jack replied aloud

'It's only a message from home sweet home, from loved ones down on the farm
'From wife, from mother, from sister and brother, praying to guard you from harm
'The baby is lisping a prayer tonight to bless you wherever you roam
'We'll welcome you, Jack, if you'll only come back, 'tis a message from home, sweet home'

'Then fare ye well, my boys', said he, 'I'm going to that land
Then one by one each cowboy came and took him by the hand
One said, 'If we had homes like you, we'd all be better men
'Oh Jack, before you go, old pal, just read that letter again'

'It's only a message from home sweet home, from loved ones down on the farm
'From wife, from mother, from sister and brother, praying to guard you from harm
'The baby is lisping a prayer tonight to bless you wherever you roam
'We'll welcome you, Jack, if you'll only come back, 'tis a message from home, sweet home'

Source: transcription of Frank Jenkins' Pilot Mountaineers (vcl by Ernest Stoneman) recorded on 12 September 1929 in Richmond, Indiana, and released as Cq 7269.

--Stewie.

Subject: Lyr Req: Only a Message From Home, Sweet Home
From: RangerSteve
Date: 02 Jul 03 - 01:07 AM

It's one of the many variations of "Home, Sweet Home", this one being the cowboy version, where the cowboys are sitting around the campfire, and one of them gets a letter from the folks back home telling him they wish he was home again, and the others tell him that they'd all be better men if they had parents like he does. Anyone know the words? Thanks, Steve.