Gypsy Jan 1898 'The Fortune Teller'

James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 08 Apr 2004

I give ye the tale of the Gypsy Jan
as was given the tale to me.
Very few would fare to the hills up there;
But there in the night went he.
And there in the dark
he'd crouch and hark,
with his ear to the ground so cold;
And he'd hear the clammer
of pick and hammer
as the dwarf men mine their gold,
their gold! Ho! Ho!
But Jan was a gypsy bold.
Cling clang, Cling clang,
Cling clang, Cling clang,
Down, down, down in the mountain's heart,
where a mortal has entered never,
down in the mines where the red gold shines,
the dwarf men toil forever.
And the clatter and clang
of their hammers rang,
till the bold Jan's heart grew cold;
Yet he swore he would creep
to the caverns deep
to rob the dwarves of their gold.
Ho! Ho!
For Jan was a gypsy bold,
ay, Jan was a gypsy bold.

Oh he lay in wait
did the Gypsy Jan
till a truant dwarf there passed by;
Then he cried: "Come show me
the mines below,
Or here by my hand you die."
So the dwarf in his fright
with torch alight
led him down to the dark domains,
where he drank and slept
but he woke and wept there
for the dwarfs had Jan in chains,
in chains. Ho! Ho!
The dwarfmen had Jan in chains.
Cling clang, Cling clang,
Cling clang, Cling clang,
Down, down, down in the mountain's heart,
Gypsy Jan he toils on for ever,
He hews the rock while the dwarfmen mock,
His claims he never can sever;
and it's there he'll stay
till the judgement day,
as the slave of dwarfmen old,
When the nights they are still
you may hear on the hill
poor Jan who mines his gold
Ho! Ho!
For Jan was a gypsy bold,
ay, Jan was a gypsy bold.

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
Gypsy Jan 1898
Lyrics by Harry B. Smith
Music by Victor Herbert
© MDCCCXCVIII by M. Witmark & Sons
*
sequence and karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Thursday 08 April 2004 at 15.48
in association with Doug Grierson
*
Vocal Selections From - "The Fortune Teller"
Comic Opera in 3 Acts
As Produced by The Alice Nielsen Opera Co.
Music by Victor Herbert. Book by Harry B. Smith.
Harry B. Smith Publication: New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1898
*