Harry (Engaged To Be Married) To Charley (Who Is Not)
To all my fond rhapsodies, Charley,
You have wearily listened, I fear;
As yet not an answer you’ve given
Save a shrug, or an ill-concealed sneer;
Pray, why, when I talk of my marriage,
Do you watch me with sorrowing eye?
’Tis you, hapless bachelor, Charley,
That are to be pitied—not I!
You mockingly ask me to tell you,
Since to bondage I soon must be sold,
Have I wisely chosen my fetters,
Which, at least, should be forged of pure gold.
Hem! the sole wealth my love possesses
Are her tresses of bright golden hair,
Pearly teeth, lips of rosiest coral,
Eyes I know not with what to compare.
Don’t talk about all I surrender—
My club, champagne dinners, cigars,
My hand at écarté, my harmless
Flirtations with Opera “stars.”
Think of the pleasant home, Charley—
Home! I utter the word with just pride—
Its music, soft lights, countless comforts,
Over which she will smiling preside.
And picture in fancy the welcome
That will greet my arrival each night!
How she’ll help me to take off my wrappings
With her dear little fingers so white;
The sweet silvery voice that will utter
The airiest nothings with grace,
The smiles that will dimple all over
That loving and lovely young face.
If sickness should ever o’ertake me,
O! just think how cherished I’ll be—
What loving cares, gentle caresses,
Shall be showered on fortunate me;
While you in some lone, gloomy attic,
To dull death posting off at quick pace,
Will encounter no tokens of pity
Save the smirk on some pert waiter’s face.
And who, perhaps, twelve hours after,
Bringing up your weak tea and dry toast,
Will look in, find you “gone,” and drawl forth,
“Number ten has just given up the ghost.”
Then, Charley, to good counsel listen,
Brave not an old bachelor’s fate,
But, doing as I’ve done, go marry
A loving and loveable mate.
poem by Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon
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Related quotes
Prior To Miss Belle's Appearance
What makes you come HERE fer, Mister,
So much to our house?--SAY?
Come to see our big sister!--
An' Charley he says 'at you kissed her
An' he ketched you, th'uther day!--
Didn' you, Charley?--But we p'omised Belle
An' crossed our heart to never to tell--
'Cause SHE gived us some o' them-er
Chawk'lut-drops 'at you bringed to her!
Charley he's my little b'uther--
An' we has a-mostest fun,
Don't we, Charley?--Our Muther,
Whenever we whips one anuther,
Tries to whip US--an' we RUN--
Don't we, Charley?--An' nen, bime-by,
Nen she gives us cake--an' pie--
Don't she, Charley?--when we come in
An' pomise never to do it ag'in!
HE'S named Charley.--I'm WILLIE--
An' I'm got the purtiest name!
But Uncle Bob HE calls me 'Billy'--
Don't he, Charley?--'N' our filly
We named 'Billy,' the same
Ist like me! An' our Ma said
'At 'Bob puts foolishnuss into our head!'--
Didn' she, Charley?--An' SHE don't know
Much about BOYS!--'Cause Bob said so!
Baby's a funniest feller!
Nain't no hair on his head--
IS they, Charley?--It's meller
Wite up there! An' ef Belle er
Us ask wuz WE that way, Ma said,--
'Yes; an' yer PA'S head wuz soft as that,
An' it's that way yet!'--An' Pa grabs his hat
An' says, 'Yes, childern, she's right about Pa--
'Cause that's the reason he married yer Ma!'
An' our Ma says 'at 'Belle couldn'
Ketch nothin' at all but ist 'BOWS!'--
An' PA says 'at 'you're soft as puddun!'--
An' UNCLE BOB says 'you're a good-un--
'Cause he can tell by yer nose!'-
Didn' he, Charley?--An' when Belle'll play
In the poller on th' pianer, some day,
Bob makes up funny songs about you,
Till she gits mad-like he wants her to!
Our sister FANNY she's 'LEVEN
Years old! 'At's mucher 'an _I_--
Ain't it, Charley? . . . I'm seven!--
But our sister Fanny's in HEAVEN!
Nere's where you go ef you die!--
Don't you, Charley?--Nen you has WINGS--
IST LIKE FANNY!--an' PURTIEST THINGS!--
Don't you, Charley?--An' nen you can FLY--
Ist fly-an' EVER'thing! . . . I Wisht I'D die!
poem by James Whitcomb Riley
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Baby Charley.
He's fast asleep. See how, O Wife,
Night's finger on the lip of life
Bids whist the tongue, so prattle-rife,
Of busy Baby Charley.
One arm stretched backward round his head,
Five little toes from out the bed
Just showing, like five rosebuds red,
-- So slumbers Baby Charley.
Heaven-lights, I know, are beaming through
Those lucent eyelids, veined with blue,
That shut away from mortal view
Large eyes of Baby Charley.
O sweet Sleep-Angel, throned now
On the round glory of his brow,
Wave thy wing and waft my vow
Breathed over Baby Charley.
I vow that my heart, when death is nigh,
Shall never shiver with a sigh
For act of hand or tongue or eye
That wronged my Baby Charley!
poem by Sidney Lanier
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241st Chorus
And how sweet a story it is
When you hear Charley Parker
tell it,
Either on records or at sessions,
Or at offical bits in clubs,
Shots in the arm for the wallet,
Gleefully he Whistled the
perfect
horn
Anyhow, made no difference.
Charley Parker, forgive me-
Forgive me for not answering your eyes-
For not having made in indication
Of that which you can devise-
Charley Parker, pray for me-
Pray for me and everybody
In the Nirvanas of your brain
Where you hide, indulgent and huge,
No longer Charley Parker
But the secret unsayable name
That carries with it merit
Not to be measured from here
To up, down, east, or west-
-Charley Parker, lay the bane,
off me, and every body
poem by Jack Kerouac
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What qualifies me to tell people how to act or what to think? I'm Charley Pride, country singer. Period.
quote by Charley Pride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Its Not Easy
(charley foskett)
Producer for bonnie: charley foskett
Recorded in 1986 for the charity album its a live-in world, part of the anti-heroin project. lyrics taken from careful listening.
I dont question the light that shines from your window
And I dont want to hear what the people might say
The think its only lust, thats hidden in your shadow
But I know different, and thats okay
Theyve been abused and theyre so confused
Its no wonder, theyll take what the can and run
They spend their life in the doorway
The doorway of a lifetime
And their aching arms give no reprise
cause they dont understand
Its not easy
Never has, or ever will be
Take this loving from me, and you will break my heart
Its not easy
Never has, or ever will be
Take this loving from me, and you will break my heart
Maybe the day will come
When the streets aint full of everyone
Just trying to hang on to what the can
And you might find when you wake up
The break of dawn has come
And all the sisters of sin are awaiting you
Theyre waiting to wrap their empty shells
Around your warm, warm and loving heart
And to clutch at your breast with a hand of ice
So pray the winds of change
And dont let them bring you down
To that no good, no good, cheap-talking crowd
cause they dont understand
Its not easy
Never has, or ever will be
Take this loving from me, and you will break my heart
Its not easy
Never has, or ever will be
Take this loving from me, and you will break my heart
Its not easy
Never has, or ever will be
Take this loving from me, and you will break my heart
Its not easy
Never has, or ever will be
Take this loving from me, and you will break my heart...fade
song performed by by Bonnie Tyler
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Little Henry
Air -- "Minnie Lee"
Oh! come listen to my story
Of a little infant child --
His spirit is in glory --
It has left us for a while.
Death has robbed us of our Henry,
He is with our Savior now,
Where there is no pain or sorrow
Comes to cloud his little brow.
CHORUS:
God has took their little treasure,
And his name I'll tell you now,
He has gone from earth forever,
Their little Charles Henry House.
His cheeks were red as roses,
And his eyes were black as coals,
His little lips were red as rubies,
And his little hair it curled.
Oh, they called him little Charley,
He was full of joyful mirth --
Now his little form is lying
'Neath the cold and silent earth.
It was the eleventh of December,
On a cold and windy day,
Just at the close of evening,
When the sunlight fades away;
Little Henry he was dying,
In his little crib he lay,
With soft winds round him sighing
From the morn till close of day.
Parents, brothers, sisters weeping,
For their cup of sorrow's full,
And his little playthings keeping,
That he thought so beautiful --
Tears from parents' eyes were starting
For their little loving one.
Oh! how painful was the parting
From their little infant son.
Oh! how often have they kissed him,
And caressed his little brow --
To his little voice have listened,
But his place is vacant now.
They called him little Charley,
And his loving name they called,
But they could not keep their darling
From the loving Savior's call.
But they must now cease their mourning,
His little soul is at rest,
Where there can no storms of trouble
Roll across his peaceful breast.
Now his little form is sleeping
In the cold and silent tomb,
And his friends are left a weeping,
In his dear and loving home.
It was the eleventh of December,
Eighteen seventy was the year,
Kind friends will all remember --
Silently let fall a tear.
But we must not trouble borrow,
For the God of heaven is just;
No one knows a parent's sorrow,
Till a child some friend have lost.
poem by Julia A Moore
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Charley Plays A Tune
Charley Plays a Tune
By Michael Lee Johnson
(Version 4)
Crippled, in Chicago,
with arthritis
and Alzheimer's,
in a dark rented room,
Charley plays
melancholic melodies
on a dust-filled
harmonica he
found abandoned
on a playground of sand
years ago by a handful of children
playing on monkey bars.
He hears bedlam when he buys fish at the local market
and the skeleton bones of the fish show through.
He lies on his back, riddled with pain,
pine cones fill his pillows and mattress;
praying to Jesus and rubbing his rosary beads
Charley blows tunes out his
celestial instrument
notes float through the open window
touch the nose of summer clouds.
Charley overtakes himself with grief
and is ecstatically alone.
Charley plays a solo tune.
-2010-
poem by Michael Lee Johnson
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Good Time Charley's
(Jerry Chesnut)
Oh I know a place called Good Time Charley's
A little four piece band swingin' out of sight
And I'll be here if you want to party
From nine in the morning 'til twelve at night
Two miles from town 'cross the railroad track
Turn right at the light and park in the back
You're always welcome don't forget to drop in
Old Charley done time two years in the pen
Well the beat goes on there's a hardwood floor
And the sound of laughter runnin' out the door
Wall to wall women plenty of ice-cold beer
And thing you're after you can find it here
Two miles from town 'cross the railroad track
Turn right at the light and park in the back
You're always welcome don't forget to drop in
Old Charley done time two years in the pen
song performed by by George Strait
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Even now, when I'm asked how I'm doing, I like to reply, 'Pretty good. I've got all my fingers and both eyes.
quote by Charley Pride
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The Doughboy's Horace
Horace: Book III, Ode 9
"Donec eram gratus tibi--"
HORACE, PVT. --TH INFANTRY, A.E.F., WRITES:
While I was fussing you at home
You put the notion in my dome
That I was the Molasses Kid.
I batted strong. I'll say I did.
LYDIA, ANYBURG U.S.A., WRITES:
While you were fussing me alone
To other boys my heart was stone.
When I was all that you could see
No girl had anything on me.
HORACE:
Well, say, I'm having some romance
With one Babette, of Northern France.
If that girl gave me the command
I'd dance a jig in No-Man's Land.
LYDIA:
I, too, have got a young affair
With Charley--say, that boy is there!
I'd just as soon go out and die
If I thought it'd please that guy
HORACE:
Suppose I can this foreign wren
And start things up with you again?
Suppose I promise to be good?
I'd love you Lyd. I'll say I would.
LYDIA:
Though Charley's good and handsome--oh, boy!
And you're a stormy fickle doughboy,
So give the Hun his final whack,
And I'll marry you when you come back.
poem by Franklin P. Adams
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No one had ever told me that whites were supposed to sing one kind of music and blacks another - I sang what I liked in the only voice I had.
quote by Charley Pride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In 20 years I had sold more records for RCA than any artist except Elvis Presley.
quote by Charley Pride
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It used to be that if you had a pretty good record, you could stop by a station in Little Rock or Atlanta and let the DJ listen to it. No way something like that can happen now.
quote by Charley Pride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I think there's enough room in country music for everybody.
quote by Charley Pride
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I've tried to help a lot of young artists get started.
quote by Charley Pride
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Until MTV, television had not been a huge influence on music. To compete with MTV, the country music moguls felt they had to appeal to the same young audience and do it the way MTV did.
quote by Charley Pride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Live-in World
(charley foskett)
Producer for bonnie: charley foskett
Recorded in 1986 for the charity album 'it's a live-in world', part of the anti-heroin project. lyrics taken from careful listening.
Put an end to that long cold existence you've lived by
Let a warm and loving hand touch your pain
The part of you that is hurting, making you cry
When all the world looks like the devil in a 3-d frame
Pull down defences
Open up your heart
Don't build defences
'cause they'll only fall apart
'cause it's a live-in world
A live-in world
It's a live-in world
A live-in world
It's a live-in world
It's alright by me
So why can't you see
It's a live-in world
A live-in world
It's a live-in world
Alone and afraid and it's all inside
It starts breaking
And we cry from inside
But the help is denied once again
And your heart has grown cold
'cause you've grown so old
Bones aching
You'll be a slave to that white-powered whore
'til the dragon is slayed
'cause it's a live-in world
A live-in world
It's a live-in world
A live-in world
It's a live-in world
It's alright by me
So why can't you see
It's a live-in world
A live-in world
It's a live-in world
Etc...repeat and fade...
song performed by by Bonnie Tyler
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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It isn't reasonable to expect that everyone in the world is a country music fan. Not yet, anyway.
quote by Charley Pride
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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These Things Will Keep Me Loving You
(harvey fuqua/johnny bristol/sylvia moy)
Oh and I know these things will keep me loving you dear
Say it again
These things will keep me loving you dear
A gentle touch upon my face baby
A tender kiss and a warm embrace honey
Oh a few kind words
Spoken so sincere
And I know and I know
These things will keep me loving you dear
These things will keep me loving you dear
Give me your shoulder so I can cry on it baby
Oh give me advice that I can rely on honey
Oh say you love me every day of the year
And I know and I know
These things will keep me loving you dear
Say it again
These things will keep me loving you dear
Oh and I know these things will keep me loving you dear
Oh baby baby
Call me each night on the telephone baby
Oh send me a card when youre far from home honey
Oh hold me close to you baby every time youre near
And I know and I know
These things will keep me loving you dear
Oh, loving you dear
[ad lib to fade]
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Good morning Sunshine
Good morning sunshine
Sweet loving light
Held in the darkness
Throughout the night
Hello sweet love
That brightens my days
With the smiles you share
And your sweet precious ways
Deep mysterious eyes
That truly amaze
The depth of passion
A heartfelt gaze
Sweet loving arms
That hold so tight
Bring warmth of love
Throughout the night
Good morning sunshine
So glad you are here
You bring such warmth
A heart so dear
Through out this day
I am thinking of you
Sweet loving thoughts
A love so true
With a simple embrace
And a soft gentle kiss
Our day lives on
Sweet loving bliss
poem by William Lindenmuth
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