for you: "Broken Blossoms" by Dusty Springfield

[po...@nospam.net]

13/March/98

There's a lovely song "Broken Blossoms" by Dusty Springfield that I've
never seen or heard of elsewhere (on a pickwick CD called simply
"Dusty Springfield, Love Songs"). Since you might otherwise never
hear the song, I've written out my recollection of the lyrics below
and encourage you to see if you can find a copy to hear its simple but
heart-pulling melody and phrasing. It appears to be a "traditional
song" (no copywrite?) but, again, I haven't seen the lyrics anywhere
.. maybe they are new lyrics on an old melody ? By the way, the
rest of the CD is great too, but this song is especially notable. Has
anyone else heard someone sing this song ?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Broken Blossoms
--------------------------
adapted by Springfield-Gray (1967)

I walk where once the grass was green,
And mourn the lark that sings no more,
What bird could sing who's eyes have seen,
Broken blossoms on the field of war.

And as they lie there in the sun,
How unimportant now it seems,
Just who has lost and who has won,
When with them have died so many dreams.

They dreamed that endless hate would end,
Unceasing fear one day would cease,
They dreamed that foe would turn to friend,
And eternal war would turn to peace.

But who can say how many more,
Will join these young and hopeful men,
In fears they've never seen before,
Far from fields they'll never see again.

-----

(the second word in the second last line might
be "fields" rather than "fears" ...
each version touches the heart in a different way)

As a lame attempt to give you a sense of the melody
I'll hum the first line :-)

dummm, dummm, dum
>dum/ \ dum/ \ dum/ \ dum\
dum.

enjoy

....Dan

(no-spam location Tigger (dot) net and I'm scan27)