The First Love Dream
(Henry Clay Work)

Last night, mother, he told me so,
As we walk'd by the pebbly stream;
And I wake so happy, so wild with joy,
It seems like a fairy dream.
But his charming voice is ringing in my ear,
As a dream voice could not be;
He's the best man you know,
In the whole wide world,
And he loves, he only loves me.

Kiss me, mother, and share the joy
That has on my fortune smiled
You have shared my sorrows when e'er I wept
Since I was a little child.
Do you chide me now? what could your darling do
When he pleads with bended knee?
He's the best man you know,
In the whole wide world,
And he loves, he only loves me.

Leave you, mother, it brings a pang
To this light and bounding heart;
But if he were calling, the bride would go
Tho' you and the daughter part.
At a word from him, a beckon of his hand
I would cross the rolling sea,
He's the best man you know,
In the whole wide world,
And he loves, he only loves me.

From Songs of Henry Clay Work, Work
RG
apr96