"Come On Love" is an original musical adaptation of Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "Vengeance Is Sweet", published in 1913 as part of his "Lyrics of the Hearthside" collection. It's a sad poem about giving up on love when it keeps turning its back on you. Whereas the wording of the original poem leaves things there, I've added a hopeful refrain at the end, opening the door to the possibility that this isn't the end of the story...
lyrics
When I was young I longed for Love,
And held his glory far above
All other earthly things. I cried:
'Come Love, dear Love, with me abide;'
Come on Love, oh dear Love, with me abide.
And with my subtlest art I wooed,
And eagerly the wight pursued.
But Love was coy and Love was shy,
He laughed at me and passed me by.
Come on Love, oh dear Love, with me abide.
Well, I grew old and I grew gray,
When Wealth came wending down my way.
I took his golden hand with glee,
And comrades from that day were we.
Then Love came back with doleful face,
And prayed that I would give him place.
But, though his eyes with tears were dim,
I turned my back and laughed at him.
Come on Love, oh dear Love, with me abide.
credits
from Come On Love,
released February 9, 2018
Words by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1913, Public Domain)
Music & Arrangement by Trevor Skead (2018)
Mastered by Tim Lengfeld
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