Whittington
Westminster
St. Michaels


Grandfather's Clock
by Henry C. Work
1875

Prelude

My grand-father's clock was too large for the shelf,
so it stood ninety years on the floor;

First Verse

My grand-father's clock was too large for the shelf,
so it stood ninety years on the floor;
It was tall-er by half than the old man himself,
though it weighed not a pen-ny weight more.
It was bought on the morn of the day he was born,
and was al-ways his treasure and pride;
But it stopp'd    short    nev-er to go a-gain
When the old    man    died.

Chorus

Ninety years, without slumbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
His life seconds numbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
It stopp'd    Short    never to go a-gain,
When the old man died.

Second Verse

In watch-ing its pen-du-lum swing to and fro,
Ma-ny hours had he spend while a boy;
And in childhood and man-hood the clock seemed to know
And to share both his grief and his joy.
For it struck twenty-four when he en-tered at the door,
With a blooming and beau-ti-ful bride;
But it stopp'd    short    nev-er to go a-gain
When the old    man    died

Chorus

Ninety years, without slumbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
His life seconds numbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
It stopp'd    Short    never to go a-gain,
When the old man died.

Third Verse

My grandfa-ther said that of those he could hire,
Not a ser-vant so faith-ful he found;
For it wast-ed no time, and had but one de-sire
At the close of each week to be wound.
And it kept in its place, not a frown up-on its face,
And its hands nev-er hung by its side;
But it stopp'd    short    never to to a-gain
When the old    man    died.

Chorus

Ninety years, without slumbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
His life seconds numbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
It stopp'd    Short    never to go a-gain,
When the old man died.

Fourth Verse

It rang an a-alarm in the dead of the night,
An a-alarm that for years had been dumb;
And we knew that his spir-it was plum-ing for flight
That his hour of de-parture had come.
Still the clock kept the time, with a soft and muffled chime,
As we si-lent-ly stood by-his side;
But it stopp'd    short    never to go again
when the old    man    died.

Chorus

Ninety years, without slumbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
His life seconds numbering (tick, toc, tick, toc)
It stopp'd    Short    never to go a-gain,
When the old man died.

Whittington
Westminster
St. Michaels