To Dollie and Georgie Bell
"Close the Shutters Gently;
or, Little Mary" (1874)
Song and Chorus
by William Shakespeare Hays, 1837-1907

[Source: 10897@LoC;
New York: J. L. Peters, Plate No. 10,481-3]

1.
Some one close the shutters gently,
Tie a crape upon the door;
Lightly trend, and softly whisper,
"Little Mary is no more!"
Weary of her earthly pleasures,
Tired of all her toil and care,
She has found a home in Heaven,
She will be an angel there.

CHORUS
Hark! I hear the angels calling
Little Mary, young and fair,
They are waiting for her coming,
She will be an angel there.

2.
When the dew was on the blossom,
Death came in hte stilly night,
And we stood beside her, weeping,
While her spirit took its flight.
O! How sad the hour of parting,
It was hard for us to bear;
But 'twas joy to know: in Heaven,
She would be an angel there.

(CHORUS)

3.
Ere she died she called her mother,
As she closed her soft blue eyes,
And she whispered slowly, sweetly,
"Angels call me from the skies."
Now she's gone, yes, gone forever!
Going up the "golden stair,"
Angels waiting to receive her,
She will be an angel there.

(CHORUS)