Five O'Clock in the Morning

DESCRIPTION: "The dew lay glitt'ring o'er the grass A mist lay over the brook"; all nature comes to life at 5:00 in the morning. Bessie the milkmaid is singing, waiting for the mower. When he arrives, "The old, old story was told again At five o'clock in the morning"
AUTHOR: Claribel (Charlotte Alington Barnard, 1830-1869) (source: sheet music)
EARLIEST DATE: 1867 (WhosBeenHereSinceIveBeenGoneSongster)
KEYWORDS: love courting | milkmaid mower scythe
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (5 citations):
WhosBeenHereSinceIveBeenGoneSongster, p. 26, "Five O'Clock in the Morning" (1 text)
Chapman-Sisters-Songster, p. 39, "Five O'Clock in the Morning" (1 text)
Little-Maggie-May-Songster, p. 64, "Five O'Clock in the Morning" (1 text)
Wandering-Refugee-Songster, p. 48, "Five O'Clock in the Morning" (1 text)
Oh-How-Is-That-For-High-Songster, p. 60, "Five O'Clock in the Morning" (1 tecxt)
Roud #30359
NOTES [63 words]: All versions of this that I've seen have three verses. I can't help but think that there should be a fourth verse in which something actually happens. In the song as it stands, the mower's comrades seem to be warning him of the dangers of courting Sweet Bessie, but... they court and then the song ends.
For brief background on Claribel, see the notes to "Come Back to Erin." - RBW
Last updated in version 7.1
File: WBHS026

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