This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Female Convict
Staff Notation • Secular
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Female Convict by Robert Boyd — Lyrics
Supplement to the Kentucky Harmony, 1825, pp. 72 and 61.
1. O sleep not my babe, for the morn of tomorrow
Shall soothe me to slumber more tranquil than thine;
The dark grave shall shield me from shame and from sorrow.
Though the deed and the doom of the guilty are mine.
Not long shall the arm of affection enfold thee;
Not long shalt thou hang on thy mother's fond breast;
And who with the eye of delight shall behold thee,
And watch thee and guard thee when I am at rest?
2. And yet it doth grieve me to wake thee, my dearest.
The pangs of thy desolate mother to see;
Thou wilt weep when the clank of my cold chains thou hearest;
And none but the guilty should weep over me.
And yet I must wake thee, and whilst thou art weeping,
To calm thee I'll stifle my tears for a while.
Thou smilest in thy dreams whilst thus placidly sleeping.
And O how it wounds me to gaze on thy smile.
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About Female Convict
The SSAATTBB choir is supported by a soaring soprano melody line, which describes the poignant lament of a mother facing execution. The music opens with a sombre and restrained introduction, before the chorus takes over with a richer texture, mirroring the text’s profound sorrow. The emotional weight of the lyrics, detailing the convict's parting words to her child and her own tragic fate, is conveyed through the contrapuntal interplay of the voices, building to moments of intense dramatic expression.
