Claudia Schmidt song sought: "Christina"

[Holly Tannen]

One of my readers would like to find words, sheet music, or a recording
of a Claudia Schmidt song that goes, "Here's the rain to wash you and
the meadow roots to hold you tight/Here's a row of earth and a crown of
dew/For the shining face here's a mask of night."

No response from my readers so far. Anyone? I'll credit you in the
column unless you request otherwise.

Holly

[denni...@gmail.com]

I believe this is a song written by Thom Bishop (Now called 'Junior Burke')
Chritina died on Friday, buried her on Sunday in the Petersburg Cemetary. On a pleasant hill, where the wind is rustling still; as it breaths across the Illinois prairie.
Noone mad a sound as they laid her in the ground, thats when the saddened Reverend said to me:
"Any parting words, fore they shovel on the dirt?" Thats when I said her epitaph will be Here's the Rains to wash you, and the meadow roots to hold you tight. Here's a robe of earth and a crown of dew-- for the shining face, here's the mask of night. And dust to circle the dancin feet. And a stone for where the wonder was; lie quiet love, here's the end of pain. And the flowers to bring you back again.
Many is the night, the moonlight was bright o'er the Petersburg Cemetary.
Came a rustlin sound, that carried through the town and was sung to her to me and only me. There was no cause to fear as it Charmed my weary ear and it said "My love, your Epitah will be: "here's the Rain... (etc.)

Now I'm growin old and my trouser legs are rolled and my hands are stuffed in pockets by my side. My days are all behind and my ways are absent minded, as I search for things I've tucked away to hide. My name will soon be named and my claim will soon be claimed and I'll be lyin beside her like she was my bride. Sayin "Here's the rain to wash you.. (etc.)

I hope this helps. My appologies to Thom Bishop (Junior Burke)-- greatest songwriter that ever lived.

[pudentame]

Do you have any idea what the name of the song might have been?

I looked up Thom Bishop's discography on All Music and I couldn't find
a song by the name "Christina" or any other combination from those
lyrics I could think of.

I looked up Claudia Schmidt's discography and I don't see anything on
any of her pre-1996 recordings that' attributed to Thom Bishop/Junior
Burke, so no clue there either.

[susan...@gmail.com]

I believe that Claudia wrote the song, but never published or recorded it because the chorus is an actual epitaph, and the husband who wrote it for his wife and had it engraved on her headstone objected to the use of his words in a song.

[susan...@gmail.com]

I checked further, and the epitaph is on the headstone of Christina Malman Masters, whose husband was Dexter Wright Masters, nephew of poet Edgar Lee Masters. Christina is buried at the Oakland Cemetary in Peterburg (Mendard County), Illinois. She lived from December 2, 1911 to January 14, 1959. Dexter Wright Masters died in 1989.

The actual epitaph reads:

Here's the rain, that's to wash you,
And the meadow roots to hold you tight.
Lie quiet, Love.
Here's a robe of earth and a crown of dew.
For the shining face, here's a mask of night.
(And worms to circle the dancing feet,
And a stone for where the wonder was)-
Lie quiet, Sweet.
Here's the end of pain
And flowers to bring you back again.

[maries...@gmail.com]