Lay Him Low - New England Music Scrapbook

Close his eyes, his work is done.

What to him is friend or foeman,

Rise of moon or set of sun,

Hand of man or kiss of woman?

Lay him low, lay him low,

Under the clover or under the snow;

What cares he, he cannot know,

Lay him low.

As man may, he fought his fight,

Proved his truth by his endeavor;

Let his name in golden light

Live forever and forever.

Lay him low, lay him low,

Under the clover or under the snow;

What cares he, he cannot know,

Lay him low.

Great his love for human kind,

Strong his faith in truth's promotion;

In his teaching[,] gems we find,

Beacon lights along life's ocean.

Lay him low, lay him low,

Under the clover or under the snow;

What cares he, he cannot know,

Lay him low.

Wreaths we bring that ne'er shall fade;

Greener with the passing years,

Brighter for our error's shade,

Jewelled with our falling tears.

Lay him low, lay him low,

Under the clover or under the snow;

What cares he, he cannot know,

Lay him low.

Pure the radiant path he trod,

Conscious of the fount 'twas given;

His allotted years from God

Are triumphs emphasized from Heaven.

Lay him low, lay him low,

Under the clover or under the snow;

What cares he, he cannot know,

Lay him low.

Bend in love, O azure sky!

Shine, O stars at evening time!

Watch our hero calmly lie

Clothed in faith and hope sublime.

Lay him low, lay him low,

Under the clover, under the snow.

How we loved him none can know,

Lay him low.

Hutchinson Family

"Lay Him Low." Adapted from George H. Boker's and Asa B. Hutchinson's "Close His Eyes, His Work Is Done." New lyrics: John W. Hutchinson and Abby Hutchinson Patton. 1884.

Asa B. Hutchinson. "Close His Eyes! His Work Is Done: Song and Chorus." Music: Asa B. Hutchinson. Lyrics: George H. Boker. First line of text: "Close his eyes; his work is done! What to him is friend or foeman." First line of chorus: "Lay him low, lay him low, Under the clover or under the snow." Boston: Oliver Ditson. 1863.

Score may be found at "The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music," levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu.

On Wednesday, February 6th [1884], I arrived in Boston on my way home, just in time to attend the funeral of Wendell Phillips, our friend and co-laborer for so many years of anti-slavery struggle. Two days later there was a memorial meeting at Faneuil Hall, at which I sang "Lay Him Low," a song we afterwards sang at the funeral of Whittier. We had seen the words, or a part of them in some stray place, and after the death of Phillips, before leaving for Boston, Abby and I had added several verses. -- John W. Hutchinson, Story of the Hutchinsons, 2 vols. (Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1896), Vol. 2 pages 125-126

As far as it goes, I imagine this is a perfectly accurate account of the origin of the song, "Lay Him Low." John Wallace Hutchinson (1821-1908) dictated his book; and it appears that occasional temporary mental lapses went into the text, uncorrected, and were, thus, made permanent. Omission, though, of any reference to this being adapted from a song composed by his brother, Asa Burnham Hutchinson (1823-1884), certainly clouded the matter.

"Lay Him Low" was, indeed, sung at the funeral of John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892). John G. Whittier's funeral was the last public appearance of Abby Hutchinson Patton (1829-1892).
"Close His Eyes, His Work Is Done"/"Lay Him Low" originated as the poem, "Dirge for a Soldier," by George Henry Boker (1823-1890).

Alan Lewis

[earliest Hutchinson Family publicity likeness]

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