LAMPLIGHT
(James H Shelton 1934)

as recorded by Hildegarde
with Fred Hartley & his Quintet
September 7th 1934 London


I have a story I tell,
It's old as the hills, but oh well!
It has one twist that might interest you,
Skies of blue that turn grey,
And when they turn, stay that way!
All stories must, people say,
Be like the dust, blow away,
And if they happen to pause by chance,
Just a glance, then they're through,
Maybe it's happened to you!

They bump into each other, as people often do,
And that's the situation that was always meant for two.
A boy, a girl, a lamplight,
My story starts, it's nothing new!

She didn't drop her hanky, no that trick was overdone,
But once her eye had twinkled, her first point had been won!
A boy, a girl, a lamplight,
My story's sad, but then it's true!

And when they saw each other smile,
The Hudson looked just like the Nile,
The stars all seemed to glisten,
The clouds stood still to listen,
They didn't speak for quite a while!

And then, all of a sudden, the clouds moved overhead,
The Nile was just the Hudson and the stars above them fled.
A boy, a girl, a lamplight,
My story ends, and so to bed!




(Transcribed by Peter Akers - March 2017)