A very British and romantic traditional song.
A very romantic traditional song collected by Creighton.
Variant of I Wandered By The Brookside by Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton, ca.1850. Also a variant of a mid-19th century British broadside ballad, As I Wandered By The Brookside, published by J. Cadman
I wandered by a brookside, I wandered by a mill,
I could not hear the water, for the murmuring wheel was still;
Nor the hum of any grasshopper, nor the chirp of any bird,
For the beating of my own heart, was the only sound I heard.
I sat beneath the elm tree, and watched its long, long shade,
And as it grew still longer, I did not feel afraid;
I listened for a footfall, I listened for a word,
But the beating of my own heart, was the only sound I heard.
There was silent tears fast flowing, when someone stood behind,
With his hand upon my shoulder, I knew the touch was kind;
He drew me near and nearer, we neither spoke one word,
But the beating of our own two hearts, was the only sound I heard.