Songs and Poems by Sattie Mae (Sturm) Farrow

 Sattie Mae Sturm was born May 29, 1891 in Eckerty, Crawford County, IN. She died September 21, 1980 in Princeton, Gibson County, IN. She met her future husband, Travis Farrow, when he was staying at her family's home. Travis worked on pump stations for the railroad. His territory ran from St. Louis to Louisville. Travis and Sattie married on December 23, 1907 at the Sturm house by Reverend James Bobbitt. They had eight children, seven which survived to adulthood. Sattie was very active in her community and church. These are four of the songs and poems she wrote:

Composed October 21, 1905
Yes you tell me that you love me that you love none else but me
And that we’d be one if I could only see
See how well you love me and know that you are true

And for me to love you as you think I ought to do.

For me to love you would be all in vain

Although I tried to the first day you came

And when we first became sweethearts

Although it was on the sly for no one else knew it except you and I
O what joy we had together singing songs of glee
And swinging in the hammock under the old plum tree
Do you not remember those happy days gone by
And how the days and weeks seemed to fly?
But I shall never forget you and those happy days gone by
When we were together on the sly

“I Will Meet You Sweetheart When the Leaves Begin to Fall”- written during WWI

In the month of October, when the leaves begin to fall
Two sweethearts sat in the twilight
Down by an old stone wall,
They were very happy for their hearts were fond and true,
As the stars that shined above them
In the vaulted sky so blue,
But alas he had to leave her
For a message came and bade him away,
As he clasp her to his arms to kiss her
These words I heard him softly say.

Chorus: I’ll return to you my darling
When the leaves begin to fall
I will meet you O my sweetheart
Here by the old stone wall
Then again we will be happy
While the leaves around us fall
And I’ll claim you as mine forever
Here by this old stone wall.

One year had passed this eveing
And not a word she had heard from him
Her heart was full of sorrow
And her eyes from tears were dim
So many years she waited there for his returning
Until her golden locks had turned to silver gray
But her heart for him still yearning
And at twilights glow these words
She would seem to hear him say.

Chorus

The Spring at the Foot of the Hill

There is a dear old spring at the foot of the hill in the wild wood
And there I spent my days of childhood
Playing around the spring so dear
For I loved to watch the rippling water that flowed from the spring so clear.

Chorus The dear old spring at the foot of the hill in the wildwood
Where I spent my happy days of childhood
Gathering wild flowers all alone
For I loved to take them home to my mother
Who was waiting there for me.

The spring that was so cold and clear
And the waters sparkling so bright
Was a picture to see on a summer’s moonlight night.
I would go to the spring every day
For a little girl sometimes went with me there to play.

Chorus

Soon we grew large and were sweethearts
And back to that spring we would go.
And tell our sorrows to each other
As we told them so long ago.
Then sing the songs together while we sat there in the breeze
And our minds would go back to childhood
Where we used to play beneath the trees

Chorus

I Have Got the Town Blues Boys

I’ve got the town blues boys I am so tired of all this noise.

O’boy I say I am going today to my home far away

Where the birds sing so gay and a mother waiting there whose hair is gray.

And a sweetheart dear who can always cheer you

When you are feeling blue

I am going back to the farm boys away from all this noise

Where I can see the fields of yellow corn

And hear the Toot toot of the dinner horn

And hear the old mule braying and hear dad saying

We are going to eat dinner now.

Two years I’ve been rambling in town and lots of pleasure I have found.

But it don’t compare with the pleasure back there on the farm

What fun we see at a husking bee huntin the red years of a corn

Then fighting for a kiss from the bashful little miss

With the lips that you can’t resist.