the other night my mother told me this sweet story about my grandparents and this song. the song was written in 1920 but i guess it was popular around the time my grandfather was going off to war. he asked my grandmother to marry him, and at first she wasn’t sure about it. her mother, my great grandmother, helped the process along by saying how marrying harry would give him a reason to come back from the war. i guess that was a good arguement because my grandma mae married harry in june of 1942 before he shipped out. this song was “their song.”
now every time my mother sees the apple blossoms she thinks of her parents. it makes me teary-eyed to think of those two young people getting hitched before he was sent overseas. i bet there were many brides at that time singing this song to their men hoping that they’d survive the war until the following may.
if you haven’t already listened to the song in the clip above, you really must. it’s so sweet. there’s a long introduction but it’s worth the wait.
i’ll be with you in apple blossom time
by neville fleeson/albert von tilzeri’m writing you, my dear,
just to tell you,
in september, you remember
‘neath the old apple tree
you whispered to me
when it blossomed again, you’d be mine.
i’ve waited until i could claim you,
i hope i’ve not waited in vain.
for when it’s spring in the valley,
i’m coming, my sweetheart, again!i’ll be with you in apple blossom time,
i‘ll be with you to change your name to mine.one day in may
i’ll come and say:
“happy the bride the sun shines on today!”what a wonderful wedding there will be,
what a wonderful day for you and me!
church bells will chime
you will be mine
in apple blossom time.i’ll be with you in apple blossom time,
i’ll be with you to change your name to mine.one day in may
i’ll come and say:
“happy the bride the sun shines on today!”what a wonderful wedding there will be,
what a wonderful day for you and me!
church bells will chime
you will be mine
in apple blossom time.
