I stumbled upon Dayle Stanley’s Letter from the Willow Tree, a love song from the sweetheart of a man who has gone off to war, by accident on YouTube. Its beautiful imagery along with the gentle melody paint a serene picture. One hopes that her love might come back to her and their child, but the final verse’s quiet hopelessness is a sign that perhaps she is doomed to a life without him, left only to dream.
lyrics
I saw a rose growing tall from the lee,
I heard a bird sing in the willow tree,
I saw a maid with a babe in her arms,
And all these things made me dream of thee,
And all these things made me dream of thee.
The sun it sets in yon willow,
The nights are long and cold for me,
So long it has been since I last saw thee,
My heart is sad that alone I must be,
My heart is sad that alone I must be.
The lands of far did call thee away,
To the raging wars so long for to stay,
May the good lord keep thee safe, I pray,
To come back again to your own true love,
To come back again to your own true love.
I cannot write thee in a fine hand,
But I'll send the the bird from yon willow tree,
And I'll send thee the rose growing tall from the lee,
And I'll give thee a babe to hold in your arms,
And I'll give thee a babe to hold in your arms.
Now the growing rose is gone from the lee,
And the bird is gone from yon willow tree,
But your babe is held so close to me,
And all these things made me dream of thee,
And all these things made me dream of thee.
credits
from On a Green Growing Tree,
released August 16, 2016
Dayle Stanley, composer/lyricist.
LETTER FROM THE WILLOW TREE (SCO 7775613A TTI/STANLEY), EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD.
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