Beautiful Dreamer

This song is popularly supposed to have been the last that Stephen Foster composed. The tradition began with the publisher's statement, on the title-gage of the original edition, that it was "the last song ever written by Stephen C. Foster, composed but a few days previous to his death." In making this claim, the publishers were guilty of a deliberate misstatement, for incontrovertible evidence shows that the manuscript of the song had been in their possession for at least two years before Foster's death.

Careful examination of the first edition, which was actually entered for copyright March 1-, 1864 (two months after Foster's death), shows that the copyright notice at the bottom of the first page of music is dated 1862. Further, in July of 1863, when the same publishers (Firth, Pond and Company) issued Foster's Willie Has Gone to the War, they announced on the title-page that it was composed by the author of Beautiful Dreamer. These facts indicate that Firth, Pond and Company actually bought Beautiful Dreamer from Foster in 1862, and had the plates for the song engraved. For some reason they did not issue the song at that time, but when they subsequently published Willie Has Gone to the War they overlooked the fact that Beautiful Dreamer had not been issued, and mentioned it on the title-page of the "Willie" song. After Foster's death (January 13, 1864) other publishers began to turn out "last songs" by Foster, so Firth, Pond and Company, who had been Stephen's principal publishers in his best years, apparently decided that they too must have a last song. Since Beautiful dreamer was already engraved, they issued it in a hurry, and shamelessly announced it as his last work. Background music is in the key of D.

Messenger Bag with harmonica logo

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Beau-ti-ful dream-er,

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wake un-to me,

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Star-light and dew-drops

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are wait-ing for thee;

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Sounds of the rude world

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heard in the day,

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Lull'd by the moon-light

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have all pass'd a-way!

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Beau-ti-ful dream-er,

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queen of my song,

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List while I woo thee

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with soft mel-o-dy;

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Gone are the cares of

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life's bus-y throng,

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Beau-ti-ful dream-er,

-5  -5   5 -4  5
 a-wake un-to me!

 -6  -7  7    7   6   
Beau-ti-ful dream-er,

5  -5   5 -4  4
a-wake un-to me!

verse 2
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the stream let vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!