The Apple Blossom Snow Blues

A “blues” is a song in the mood of Milton’s Il Penseroso, or a paragraph from Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy. This present production is the chronicle of the secret soul of a vaudeville man, as he dances in the limelight with his haughty lady. Let the reader take special pains to make his own tune for this production, to a very delicate drum beat.

“Your Dandelion beauty, Your Cherry-blossom beauty, Your Apple-blossom beauty, I will dance as I can, O You rag time lady, O You jazz dancing lady, O You blues-singing lady,” Thinks the blues-singing man.

“Your Grace and slightness, And your fragrant whiteness, Make me see the bending Of an apple-blossom bough. You Are a fairy, Yet a jump-jazz dancer, And your heart Is a robin, Singing, making merry With the apple-flowers now.”

See him kneel and canter And smirk and banter, And essay her heart While the gourd horns blow. For he is her lover And Her dancing partner, In the blues he made Called “The Apple Blossom Snow.”

She does her duty No more Than her duty, Yet the packed house cheers To the gallery rim. Her young scorn fires them, Its pep inspires them, They watch her lover And envy him.

He does not fathom What her heart has in keeping Till that last circus leaping Takes all by surprise. Then he catches her softly, Saves her gently, And a mood for his soul Lights her pansy eyes.

Then She steps rare measures. Her eyes are treasures. Brave truth shines out From her young-witch glance. From the velvety shade, Ah, the thoughts of the maid. Relenting glory, Unveiled by chance.

Though soon thereafter She hides in laughter, And flouts all his loving, He will dance as he can, As he can, Like a man, With his jazz dancing wonder, With his pansy blossom wonder, With his apple blossom wonder, With his rag time lady, The Rag Time Man.