Last Letter, The
DESCRIPTION: "Dear love here's a letter It's the last one I'll send For my love's correspondings will soon be at end." He dies with the letter unfinished. She dies from grief when she gets the letter. Now "they dwells each together in a bright home above"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1921 (Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland)
KEYWORDS: love parting reunion death
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar,Newf) US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland 101, "Lovely Annie" (1 text)
Ives-FolksongsOfNewBrunswick, pp. 180-181, "The Unfinished Letter" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vikár/Panagapka-SongsNorthWoodsSungByOJAbbott 31, "I'll Write You a Letter" (1 text, 1 tune, probably this although it includes only the letter, with no indication that the man is dead or what comes after)
Roud #1967
RECORDINGS:
Jimmie Davis, "The Last Letter" (Decca 5726,/Melotone [Canada] 45334, 1939; Minerva M-14104, 1940)
George Hatfield, "Come Love Here's a Letter" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
George Riley, "The Last Letter" (Conqueror 7742, 1931)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Soldier's Last Letter" (theme)
File: GrMa101
Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography
The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.