To Misses Butier and Salisbury
This Song, with sincere esteem, is most respectfully inscribed.
"The Sounds of the Sea" (1867)
Song and Chorus
[Words--anonymous;
N.Y.Mirror, Vol. 17, page 392, 30 May 1840]
Composed by
J[oseph]. P[hilbrick]. Webster [1819-1875]

Chicago: Lyon & Healy, Clark & Washington Sts.
Boston: O. Ditson & Co.
Phila.: C. W. A. Trumpler
Cinn.: J. Church Jr.
Chicago: Western News Co.
Plate No. 142
[Source: am1273@Mills]

1. I come from the ocean— a billow pass’d o’er me,
And covered with seaweeds, and glittering foam,
I fell on the sands, and a stranger soon bore me,
To deck the gay halls of his far distant home;
Encompassed by esquisite myrtle and roses,
Still, still in the deep I am pining to be;
And the low voice within me my feeling discloses,
And ever more murmurs the sounds of the sea.

2. The skylark at morn pours a carol of pleasure,
At eve the sad nightingale warbles her note,
The harp in our halls nightly sound a glad measure,
And beauty’s sweet songs on the air lightly float;
Yet I sigh from the loud breaking billows that toss’d me,
I long to the cool coral caverns to flee,
And when guests with officious intrusion accost me,
I answer them still in the strains of the sea.

CHORUS [sung after VERSES 2 and 3 only]
[with overlapping voices]
[SA]
Murmuring sea, murmuring sea,
And ever more murmurs the sounds of the sea,
ever more murm’ring, evermore murm’ring sounds of the sea.
ever more murm’ring, evermore murm’ring sounds of the sea.
[TB]
Murm’ring, murm’ring, murm’ring, murm’ring,
murm’ring, murm’ring, murm’ring sea,
And evermore murmurs, evermore murmurs,
the sounds, the sounds of the sea, the sea, and
ever more murm’ring, evermore murm’ring, mum’ring sounds of the sea, the sea, and
ever more murm’ring, eer more murm’ring, murm’ring sounds of the sea.

3. Since I left the blue deep I am ever regretting,
And mingled with men in the regions above,
I have known them, the ties they once cherished forgetging,
Oft trust to new friendship, and cling to new love.
Oh! it is so hard to perserve true devotion!
Let mortals who doubt seek a lesson of me;
I am bound by mysterious links to the ocean,
And no language is mine but the sounds of the sea.