"Old Hal,
The Village Smith" (9 Apr 1884)
Words and Music
by
Samuel Bradbury.

35 [cents]
Boston: W. A. Evans & Bro., 1 Columbia Street
[also in New York; Kansas City, MO; New Orleans, LA; Philadelphia;
Chicago; City of Mexico; Cincinnati, OH; St. Louis, MO;
Minneapolis, MN; and San Francisco, CA]
[Source: 1884-07463@LoC]

1. Old Hal, the village smith is a man both stout and strong, 
And as happy as a man could wish to be, 
As through his work he goes, with strong and steady blows, 
He’s as jolly and content as he is free, 
For it’s early in the morn that he rises with a will, 
And trudges down the green and shady lane.
To his daily work he goes, caring not for friends or foes, 
As it’s there his daily bread he goes to gain.

CHORUS [sung after each VERSE]
So it’s bang, bang, bang!
And it’s ring, ding, ding!
With his hammer on the anvil through the day, 
Then he’ll whistle and he’ll sing, 
Then a stroke and then a ring.
In the shop old Hal the blacksmith earns his pay.

2. It’s early ev’.ry day that you see the children play 
Gath’ring ’round the grand old village blacksmith shop, 
And to both the young and old many tales good 
Hal has told, As his hammer on his anvil he would drop, 
Then to work again he’d go with a steady heavy blow, 
And the sparks from out the fire would gently fly, 
And then old Hal would sing and his hammer loud would ring 
On the anvil as the day was passing by.

3. Then at night old Hal you’d see when his daily work is o’er 
Returning down the green and shady lane, 
And the children round him cling, while their merry voices sing, 
As they welcom back the blacksmith once again, 
And that’s the life old Hal the village blacksmith led, 
And to his daily work he goes with glee, 
Caring not for friends or foes as though the world he goes, 
He’s as happy and content as he can be.