To Miss Nellie Hammond, Cleveland, Ohio
"Oh, Give Me a Home in the South!" (1872)
Song and Chorus
Written and Composed by
William Shakespeare Hays, 1837-1907

[Source: 12119@LoC]

1.
Oh! give me a home in the South,
Down by the murmuring stream.
Where the magnolias bloom,
Life's like a midsummer's dream.
Beautiful stars of the night
Peep thro' the curtains of space,
Shedding their soft, mellow light,
Loving to smile on my face.

CHORUS
Oh, give me a home in the South,
The loveliest spot on the earth;
I care not how humble it be,
The dear, sunny land of my birth (of my birth).

2.
Oh! give me a home in the South,
Where the mocking birds gather and sing
Their melodies cheerful and gay,
Welcoming beautiful spring,
Where the river floats gaily along,
In its winding way out to the sea.
I care not where others may dwell,
A home in the South give to me.

(CHORUS)

3.
Oh! give me a home in the South,
A home 'neath a Southern sky,
Where I've lived all the summer of life,
Where the friends of my youth live and die,
When I'm called by the angel of Death,
To leave all I love on earth,
May the angels then find me asleep
In the beautiful land of my birth.

(CHORUS)