Just for fun, I used software to create a folk music version of James Whitcomb Riley's poem "'Mongst the Hills o' Somerset". Except for a few supplemental lines in the Outro and one added word in the opening verse, the song is faithful to the original 1888 poem. It begins with a slightly clunky feel to the vocals, but then quickly smooths out to become a surprisingly enjoyable song. To listen, click here or click on the song cover artwork included below.
L. Dietle
The cover art was inspired by the following words from the last verse of the poem:
There's the dear old home once more,
And there's Mother at the door —
Dead, I know, fer thirty year,
Yet she's singin', and I hear.
And there's Jo, and Mary Jane,
And Pap, comin' up the lane!
Dusk's a-fallin'; and the dew,
'Pears like it's a-fallin' too —
Dreamin' we're all livin' yet
'Mongst the Hills o' Somerset!"
The following image shows the poem, as it was published in the November, 1888 issue of the "Century Magazine" (Vol. XXXVII).
