Florida Glide Waltzes

  This is a sample of one of the eleven songs you

  will find and Chris especially favors this song.

        In Dear Old Sunny Florida

                        Words by Theo Lyon
                       Music by Clifton Keith
                            Copyright 1910

When the moon begins to cease its rays of silv'ry light,
When the birds begin to sing their sound of joy,
When the flowers begin to awaken from the night,
I dream of days when I was but a boy,
There's just a little cottage partly hidden from the ferry,
And there's the dear old cherry tree,
But fore most in my dreams I can see my sweetheart Mary,
As side by side we used to stroll in glee.

Remember how I caressed you, for it was such bliss,
Altho your best to love me you would try,
And when you gave me your hand and I gave you a kiss,
O, that parting clasp as I looked you in the eye,
And in my dreams of years ago my love still burns aglow,
To think of happy days gone by,
And to live them over again, to you I would bestow,
My heart and hand and live without a sigh.

In dear old sunny Florida, the land of showers,
"Twas there I met her, sitting 'mong the flowers,
Among the orange blossoms I long to roam,
In dear old sunny Florida, my Southern home.

This example of folk music from Florida in the early 20th century is beautifully simple. Country folk often sang folk music, or played it on the fiddle. They played music at gatherings outdoors and / or in small homes. Farmers, loggers, fishermen, cowboys, and their families usually performed this music. Professional musicians didn't perform it as often. The musical style was not fancy. The lyrics reflected the local dialect and vocabulary. Ballads, or songs that told stories, were popular. Love songs such as this one were also well liked.

  For all songs you are treated to

wonderfully illustrated covers.