The Water-Lily - 1937

James Pitt-Payne, London and Ian Cousins, Opera Australia

A lonely young wife
In her dreaming discerns
A lilydecked pool
With a border of ferns;
And a beautiful child
With butterfly wings,
Trips down to the edge of the water
and sings;
"Come, mamma! Come!
Quick! follow me
Step out on the leaves of the waterlily!"
And the lonely young wife,
Her heart beating wild,
Cries; "Wait till I come,
Till I reach you, my child!"
But the beautiful child
With butterfly wings
Steps out on the leaves of the lilies and sings
"Come, mamma! Come!
Quick! follow me!
And step on the leaves of the waterlily!"
And the wife in her dreaming
Steps out on the stream,
But the lily leaves sink,
And she wakes from her dream,
Ah, the waking is sad,
For the tears that it brings,
And she knows 'tis
her dead baby's spirit that sings;
"Come, mamma! Come!
Quick! follow me!
Step out on the leaves,
the leaves of the waterlily!"

Soft karaoke
Words
treble clef 1
treble clef 2
lyric line
bass
Lyric Line
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The Water-Lily 1937
Music by Christian Helleman
Lyric by Henry Lawson
copyright 1937 by W. H. Paling and Co. Ltd.
for all Countries
sequence by Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK
and Ian Cousins, Opera Australia
completed Saturday 05 Jan 2002 at 08.26
in association with Doug Grierson
*