American Old Time Song Lyrics: 52 What Might Have Been

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 52

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Copyright, 1896, by E. T. Paull.
Words and Music by Castell Brydges.

They stood at the altar fide by side
In the sunshine of youth sublime,
No thought of clouds or storm and strife
In the sweet, golden summer time;
But, alas! if the future they could have seen.
Their joy would have fled like a dream;
Dark days hov'ring o'er them
And the story what might have been.

Chorus.
Sunshine, sorrow and tears come to every one,
Be they peasant, be they king, they cannot dark days shun;
Only men and women are we, feeling sorrow keen;
We oft look back with sad regret And think what might have been.

One day in their lives a quarrel came,
A simple and foolish thing;
It blasted their love forevermore
Like the viper's poisonous sting;
And now in the night, when the moon shines bright,
A woman so fair is seen,
Murm'ring in her agony,
How happy we might have been.- Chorus.