Collection of eighty street ballads on forty sheets, mostly with a woodcut printed at London, the majority by J. Catnach (18201830). London: n.p., n.d. University of Minnesota Libraries. WILSON Rare Books Quarto 820.1 C683.

Pasted to album leaf 27: broadside containing "Mary Blane" (left column) "Oh, Summer Night" (right column).

Wood engraving of a decorative heap of musical instruments.

Mary Blane

C. Paul, Printer, 18, Great St. Andrew Str. Broad Street, Bloomsbury.

did lub a pretty galó

I lub'd her as my lifeó

She came from Lusiana;

And I made her my dear wife.

At home we lib'd so happy,

Oh, free from grief and pain,

But in de winter time ob year

I lost my Mary Blane.

Oh fare de well, poor Mary Blane!

One feeling heart bids you adieu,

Oh fare de well, poor Mary Blane!

We'll never meet again.

I went into de woods one day,
   To hunt among de cane,
De white man came into my house,
   And took poor Mary Blane.
It grieb me berry much to tink,
   No hopes I entertain,
Of eber seeing my dear gal,
   My own poor Mary Blane.
         Oh, fare de well, &c.

When toiling in de cotton field,
   I cry and say good bye,
Unto my broder comrades,
   Dat, oh, soon, oh, soon I die,
My poor wife goneóI cannot lib
   Amidst dis world ob painó
But lay me in de grabe to find,
   Out my poor Mary Blane.

         Den fare de well dear Mary Blane,
            Do we are parted here on earth,
         Oh, fare de well dear Mary Blane,
            We soon shall meet again.

Transcription and HTML-coding by Brett Single. A minstrel song, probably written or collected by William Whitlock; WorldCat reports this item as included in Whitlock's Collection of Ethiopian Melodies (New York: Christman, 1846).

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Michael Hancher Department of English, University of Minnesota URL: <http://umn.edu/home/mh/MaryBlane.html> Comments to: mh@umn.edu Created 30 April 1997 Revised 28 June 1997