To A. Eouse, Esq.
(of Detroit, Mich.)
Ballad.
"The Voice of By Gone Days" (1850)
Written and Composed by
Stephen Collins Foster, 1826-1864

1.
Ah! the voice of by gone days,
Will come back again,
Whispering to the weary hearted
Many a soothing strain.
Youthful fancy then returns,
Childish hope the bosom burns,
Joy, that manhood coldly spurns,
Then flows in memory's sweet refrain.
Ah! the voice of by gone days,
Will come back again,
Whispering to the weary hearted
Many a soothing strain.

2.
Ah! the voice of by gone days
Murmurs to my brain
Till the cherish'd forms departed
Seem to live again --
Weeping old-time sorrows o'er,
Smiling as in days of yore
When each heart its burden bore
Of love and pity, bliss and pain.
Ah! the voice of by gone days,
Will come back again,
Whispering to the weary hearted
Many a soothing strain.

3.
Ah! the voice of by gone days
Bids my memory rove
To the fair and gentle being
Of my early love.
She was radiant as the light,
She was pure as dews of night,
And beloved of angels bright,
She join'd their bless'd and happy train.
Ah! the voice of by gone days,
Will come back again,
Whispering to the weary hearted
Many a soothing strain.