[instrumental beginning] [Verse I] Upon Gander Hollow where wild briars grow, And daisies do curtsey in morning's soft show, I wandered alone with a bonnet askew, While chasing the breeze and a memory too. [Verse II] The brook whispered low with its silver-tongued sighs, As skylarks made ribbons of song in the skies. There 'neath the ash tree I happened to see, A glance most peculiar, and meant, perhaps, for me. [Chorus] O Gander Hollow, thou art my delight, Where thoughts stir like willows by dim evening light. If ever love’s promise be true, let it start, With thyme 'round my ankles and hope in my heart. [Instrumental] [Verse III] He rode with a steadiness, gentle and fair, His coat trimmed in velvet, a rose in his hair. He asked of the weather—I answered in kind, Yet trembled to think what he truly had mind. [Bridge] I spoke of the finches, the cowslips and moor, He listened as if he had not heard before. And though I curtsied and bid him good day, I swear that my spirit did beg him to stay. [Chorus] O Gander Hollow, thou art my delight, Where moments drift softly and never feel slight. If ever love’s murmur should warm a still heart, Let it bloom in thy meadows, where silence plays part. [Final Verse] Now seasons have tumbled and years slipped away, Still I walk Gander Hollow at end of the day. And though he came never again to that glade, My heart keeps the vow that we never quite made. [Instrumental] [Final Refrain – softly, reflectively] O Gander Hollow, thy hush ever true, Thou hold’st in thy stillness what I never knew. So sing me thy lullaby, old and so sweet, Where wildflowers gather 'round my weary feet.
