One of my favorite songs we do is I’ll Be With You When the Roses Bloom Again. It’s fun to play-has an appealing rhythmic quality to it-and has great words. Not much else you could ask for in a song.
We added the video of the song to the Blind Pig & the Acorn youtube channel 3 years ago. At 23,789 views it’s one of our most watched videos.
I’ve never shared it here on the Blind Pig-because I wanted to use it as part of my WC Penland Civil War Letters series. I recently did some research on the song-since we’re getting close to the end of WC’s letters. I knew the song was very old-and assumed it was from the Civil War era-I was slightly off.
Gus Edwards is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame for penning a variety of songs-including this one with Will Cobb. Turns out the solider they’re talking about in the song-is from the Spanish American War-not the Civil War.
As with many of the old songs we sing, the words have changed slightly since the song was first penned. You can see the lyrics we use below.
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I’ll Be With You When The Roses Bloom Again
They were roaming in the gloaming
When the roses were in bloom
A soldier with his love so fond and true
But their hearts were filled with sorrow
For they knew that on the morrow
He must go away to join the boys in blue
Do not ask me love to linger
For no matter what you say
When duty calls your words will be in vain
Let your heart not be sighing
If I’m not among the dying
I’ll be with you when the roses bloom again
When the roses bloom again
Beside the river
And the robin red breast sings his sweet refrain
As in days of auld lang syne
I’ll be with you sweetheart mine
I’ll be with you when the roses bloom again
From the rattle of the battle
Came a whisper soft and low
From a soldier who lay wounded from the fray
I am dying, captain dying
And I know I have to go
But I want your promise
Err I pass away
There’s a far and distant river
Where the roses are in bloom
And a little girl who’s waiting just in vain
It is there I pray you take me
I’ve been faithful, don’t forsake me
I’ll be with her when the roses bloom again
When the roses bloom again
Beside the river
And the robin red breast sings his sweet refrain
As in days of auld lang syne
I’ll be with you sweetheart mine
I’ll be with you when the roses bloom again
written by Gus Edwards and Will Cobb (variations from original by Pap and Paul Wilson)
——————
I hope you enjoyed the song! Gus Edwards was an interesting man.
Tipper
Those are some very wise words by Miss Larson. AMEN, AND AMEN!!!
Nowadays, seems we’re living in a world where so many think wrong is right and right is wrong, who criticize and make fun of honest folks who live clean lives and teach their children right, while avidly following those repeatedly bearing children out of wedlock who do drugs and think it’s cool to pose in the nude.
It’s sad times that surely must make God weep, because it’s leading so many in this world down the road to ruin.
I pray the world will turn around once again. I pray enough good strong people will always survive to lead the way. Otherwise, I shudder to think what comes next if it doesn’t.
God bless.
RB
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Just love it.
Such a romantically poignant tune to shave the barren edge off a windy rainy night here in Garrett County. And yes, Eva, war songs are sad, for there is no glory in war-only dying or seeing others dying. I know. I spent four years in a war.
So I let the kitchen duo run for four songs – I just love listening to them. They have something special-very subtle, hard to pin it down. The French call it je ne sais quoi–I don’t know what, but it’s there, a certain something…
The new music player works just fine for me and I will listen each day and enjoy!
Tipper,
Everything works just fine with this new player format. I’ve been
with you a long time and the old
one was fine too. I’m just not one who likes CHANGE. (but I’ll get us to it.)
Tell you one thing…I really have missed the music. Oh, and this one is louder too, took me a few minutes to find the volume control just above the the slide
bar to see all the songs.
Thank You!!! Ken
Tipper,
Well now, aren’t you an “ETSY” bitsy “SNEAKY” gal! Keeping that secret from all of us until this afternoon!
I think you are doing a great thing! Putting all those talents to good use and sharing all of it with the rest of the world!
Good Luck to you all! Those pictures are just beautiful of the girls and Pap and Paul!
I just happen to love “Etsy” and look on it regularly!
My favorite saying about ART…
“HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS”
Thanks Tipper,
>> AND…just where are your FOLK ART “ANGEL OF BRASSTOWN” BY TIPPER paintings?
PS…The music player is working great here…but my computer is giving me a “green screen block” on all the videos!…I think that is my Explorer program though, BUT if you have any “idee’s” about how I can fix it, let me know! Sometimes it works fine then other times it doesn’t!
SAD SONG! But I guess all ‘war’ songs are sad. But I will be humming it all day – as the rain is falling slowly falling upon my window pane this morning! And I will get Jim to play it on his mandolin. He is getting fairly good – as he plays by ear – and can follow your fellows’ fairly well.
Eva Nell
I didn’t lack for Blind Pig and Pressley Girls music during the absence of the music player. I was smart enough to buy their available cds and subscribe to them on youtube. I even have my own playlist so I can listen in the order I want to. Maybe most readers wouldn’t want to go to that extreme but you see, I am addicted to all things Blind Pig. I have to have my daily fix or there no telling what might happen around here.
My choice for the Penland letters would be “The Legend of the Rebel Soldier” which Paul and Pap do very well!
Tipper,
The player works fine even over here on the west coast of Oregon.
Thank you Tipper.
Well done, as always. The bass player was sure having a good time;-)
I like the new music player better than the one which started automatically. There are some situations where I find myself when I don’t want to make any sound. Of course you can mute it, but then you have to remember to unmute.
That’s a nice sad song for a rainy day. The music player worked fine. Thanks for the history lesson as well. Continuing to pray for Pap as he improves.
That’s a nice sad song for a rainy day. The music player worked fine. Thanks for the history lesson as well. Continuing to pray for Pap as he improves.
That’s a nice sad song for a rainy day. The music player worked fine. Thanks for the history lesson as well. Continuing to pray for Pap as he improves.
I was able to read all and after I listened to When the Roses Bloom…I tried the new music player. It worked for me and it didn’t seem to interfere with reading today’s writings. I did enjoy the rose song, sad, but at least he kept his word.
Tipper–Alas, nothing in the musical area works for me. I can’t get sound with Pap and Paul and while clicking on the new effort at getting stuff to play opens a small window at the top left of my computer, that window is only producing the sounds of silence.
I’m disappointed in both and have missed the occasional resort to the old play list, but I’m sure in time you will persevere.
If and when you do,here’s a thought. Why don’t you put together a special selection or separate play list of Civil War-related songs? There are hundreds of them. Ones that come immediately to mind are two wonderfully stirring songs from opposite side of the conflict, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Dixie;” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (although Joan Baez butchered the lovely lyrics); and that haunting song Lisa Snuggs discovered and which I have proceeded to forget.
Many of those songs are poignant and powerful.
Jim Casada
http://www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
Lovely song, I seem to remember hearing it a long, long time ago. Maybe my Grandfather
Tipper,
A beautiful song this morning. As always I think they did a wonderful job with their lyrics and rendition of the song.
You know those words could just about apply to any long distance relationship, war and rumors of war.
While listening, it joggled a memory of myself crying and waving bye to my boyfriend at the time. When that big old Greyhound bus pulled out of the bus depot in Knoxville, I thought my heart would break! Even though his brother and his girlfriend was with me, no amount of trying to console me was going to work at that moment. The worry and fear of Vietnam rumors and beginning of the war was ever-present. My guy in blue, with only 5 months left in the military and a stint in Korea behind him, was now stationed at Walker Air Force Base in NM and hopefully would soon be home for good! Our biggest fear that they would get frozen due to Vietnam and full fledged war breaking out and not getting back home.
He made it home in February the next year, even though he considered reenlisting after four years…scary…when the reenlistment bonus was offered!
We married that next Spring and his brother and girlfriend following us in marriage soon after!
Those were the days back then, and today are the trying times for our military families! Here’s hoping more happy time tears than sad ones!
Thanks Tipper, great post and song!