White Coral Bells

DESCRIPTION: "White coral bells upon a slender stalk, Lilies of the valley (line/grace/deck) my garden (walk/wall). Oh don't you wish that you could hear them ring? That will only happen when the (angels/fairies) sing." May be sung as a round
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (as "May Bells," in the "Fourth Year" volume of the "Hollis Dann Music Course")
KEYWORDS: nonballad flowers campsong | round
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, p. 268, "White Coral Bells" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, pp. 256, 438-439, 447, "White Coral Bells" (notes only)
Tobitt-TheDittyBag, p. 32, "White Coral Bells" (1 text, 1 tune)
OneTuneMore, p.29, "White Coral Bells" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Judy Cook, "White Coral Bells" (Piotr-Archive #399, recorded 12/21/2022)
Anni Crofut, "White Coral Bells" (Piotr-Archive #618, recorded 07/31/2023); The Crofut Family, "White Coral Bells" (Piotr-Archive #672, recorded 09/17/2023)
NOTES [94 words]: One of the tiny handful of songs in my mother's singing tradition. It seems to be a genuine folk song, even if no one knows what it's supposed to be about.
Jack Manischewitz, who did the research leading to the 1916 date for the May Bells variant, has found a number of people who also know the song from early life. He notes that the 1916 publication listed no author, although authors were listed for most of the other pieces in that book. This would imply, at minimum, that the copyright had expired by 1916, which would hint at a nineteenth century origin. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: PHCFS268

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