Songs
of the
New Orleans['] Troubadours
Composed and Adapted by Walter Neville
1.  Dem Good Old Day's Afor De War.
2.  Angels Hover Oe'r Our Darling.

Dedicated to
Henry Newman,
Of the New Orleans['] Troubadours.
"Dem Good Ole Days Afo De War" (1876)
Words by Samuel N. Mitchell
Music by Charlie Baker
Cincinnati, OH: F. W. Helmick,
  No. 50 West Fourth Street
[Source: 025/026@Levy]

1. Dem good ole days afo’ de war, we shall not see no more,
An ’ole Georgia am not what she used to be,
De merry times am ober now along its sunny shore,
An’ all de ole plantation nigs am free,
Altho’ we had to labor hard among de cotton rows,
Ole massa gub us all enought to eat,
An’ nebber did we hab so much of life’ most bitter woes,
Until de army made us all retreat.

CHORUS [sung after each VERSE]
Dem good ole days afo’ de war we shall not see no more,
An’ ole Georgia am not what she used to be,
De merry times am ober now along its sunny shore,
An’ all de ole plantation nigs am free.

2. De boys in blue came marching down one lovely morn in June,
An’ dey pitch’d der camp among de growing corn,
Ole masa he was wide awake, he heard de bugle’s tune,
An’ when dey came to find him he was gone;
He jined de rebel forces— some whar down in Tennessee,
But fell in battle early in de fall,
An’ den de only son he had, while fighting under Lee,
Soon answered to de angel’s trumpet call.

3. We left our dear ole home an’ friends, de sweet magnolia trees,
An’ we bid de soger boys a fond adieu,
De mocking birds were singing to de gentle summer breeze,
An’ welcome’d ev’ry Union boy in blue;
But since dose happy days of yore we’ve knock’d about de land.
An’ poverty has stared us in de face,
We hab met with open hearts an’ grasped a warm an’ welcome hand,
An’ found at last a quiet resting place.