Jeff Henry
Tonight At The Dolphin
The Songs
Tonight At The Dolphin
©Jeff Henry 2007
Smiling, we gaze o’er the river
To where the packet and the clipper do ply,
Saturday noon promenading, under a hot August sky,
But where shall we find our diversion
From the frosts and the bleak winter night,
Shall we meet with good cheer at the Long Rooms
‘Neath the lanterns welcoming light,
To where the packet and the clipper do ply,
Saturday noon promenading, under a hot August sky,
But where shall we find our diversion
From the frosts and the bleak winter night,
Shall we meet with good cheer at the Long Rooms
‘Neath the lanterns welcoming light,
And we’ll dance tonight at the Dolphin, dance to the violins call,
And we’ll touch, by and by, the Captain and I,
When we dance tonight at the Ball.
And we’ll touch, by and by, the Captain and I,
When we dance tonight at the Ball.
Pleasant the days at the Castle,
With pleasures and pastimes to fill,
Conundrums, spillikins, riddles, and company for the quadrille,
Candlelight flickers and dances,
Log fire crackles and burns,
We talk and take tea in the parlour,
'Til the shadows of evening return,
With pleasures and pastimes to fill,
Conundrums, spillikins, riddles, and company for the quadrille,
Candlelight flickers and dances,
Log fire crackles and burns,
We talk and take tea in the parlour,
'Til the shadows of evening return,
Taking the air in the morning,
Down to the fair Itchen stream,
Where the boatman will carry us over to the chapel high on the green,
And we’ll rest for a while at the Manor,
In the shade of a sycamore tree,
Then back ‘cross the bridge, o’er the river,
And home in good time for tea,
Down to the fair Itchen stream,
Where the boatman will carry us over to the chapel high on the green,
And we’ll rest for a while at the Manor,
In the shade of a sycamore tree,
Then back ‘cross the bridge, o’er the river,
And home in good time for tea,
When the sun chases all from the heavens,
And the summer is rendered aglow,
We’ll walk in the shade of the garden where the rose and the sweet-briar grow,
Such pleasures as e’er we’ll remember,
We’ll share in the warmth of the day,
‘Till the music, so sweet in the evening,
Do hurry the twilight away,
And the summer is rendered aglow,
We’ll walk in the shade of the garden where the rose and the sweet-briar grow,
Such pleasures as e’er we’ll remember,
We’ll share in the warmth of the day,
‘Till the music, so sweet in the evening,
Do hurry the twilight away,
And we’ll dance tonight at the Dolphin, dance to the violins call...
And we’ll dance tonight at the Dolphin, dance to the violins call...
And we’ll dance tonight at the Dolphin, dance to the violins call...
Little is known of Jane Austen's two years or so in Southampton. The only insight into her time there are brief comments in letters she wrote to friends and family. This song is based on those letters, and makes reference to the dances she attended at the Dolphin Hotel.