William Shakespeare Hays - Old Fashioned Fire-Place

1.
O, well I remember the scenes of my boyhood,
That joyfully cling to my memory still,
A murmuring stream filled the air with its music,
As onward it rushed thro' the woods to the mill;
THe house where my grandfather lived I remember,
The windows were small and the ceilings were low,
And how we all gathered around in the evening,
The old fashioned fireplace years ago.

CHORUS
Gone is the home and the loved ones who lived there,
Ah! never again in this world will I know,
Those who sat mailing and talking around it,
The old fashioned fireplace long years ago.

2.
I've sat on my grandfather's knee in the evening,
The loved ones were gather'd around the warm hearth;
The crane swung the kettle, the backing burn'd brightly,
It looked like the happiest picture on earth;
My good mother quietly set with her knitting,
In an old fashioned chair, as she rocked to and fro,
The bright sparks were popping about on the carpet,
From the old fashioned fireplace long years ago.

(CHORUS)

3.
The cat in the corner sat silently musing,
The old famly Bible was open'd read;
Then, grandfather pray'd, and we kissed one another,
And whisper'd "goodnight," and went happy to bed;
The clock on the wall never tired of ticking,
The room was in darkness, the fire burned low,
The loved ones were dreaming and silence prevailing,
'Round the old fashioned fireplace long years ago.

(CHORUS)