"Out of the Flames" and Other Songs of the Great Fire

Dedicated to Miss Kate Brewster (haven't a clue)
Words and Lyrics by S. Bissell
Published in Pittsburgh: Bissell & Mink, 1872

Lyrics:

Where, oh where’s our little Nell?
My heart is full of grief;
Will not some sweet angel tell
And give my heart relief?

Our Lillie’s saved, and Mary, too
With papa and our Belle;
But where is she our dearest one,
Our darling little Nell?

But where is she our dearest one
Our darling little Nell?

Chorus
Our darling Nell who all did love
To call her pretty name
The angels took her up above
Our darling Nell who all did love
To call her pretty name
The angels took her up above
Out of that crimson flame

We didn't see her wee-wee face
When we escaped the fire,
The smoke had curtained all the place
The scarlet tide rose higher.
See! Lillie dear fall on her knees,
And call upon God's name;
"Do send kind angels if you please,
To bear her from the flames."

Methinks I see the angels
Right in amidst the flame,
Bearing away our darling Nell,
And calling her by name:
So tenderly they bore her,
Ascending higher and higher,
And safely home they took her,
To swell the angel choir.

From The Library of Congress, Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music

The Great Chicago Fire seemed to be quite the inspiration for songwriters in 1872. Probably, for good reason. It provided a way for them to commemorate historical events and natural disaster and, in no small measure, get their name and work in the public eye. In addition to the mournful "Out of the Flames," was "Chicago's glory lost, or Great Chicago fire" by Judson Osborne, "Lost in the fire" by Edwin Christie,"The Chicago fire" by Eff Bea, and "Help the poor and perishing" by John Hullah.

The songs also helped to rally the country to come to Chicago's aid. The cartoon at right, titled "The National Hand of Fellowship," appeared in Harper's Weekly on November 4, 1871 and illustrates the county's prevailing attitude. "Pity the Homeless, or Burnt Out," by James R. Murray reminded everyone what Chicago had endured:

1. Pity the homeless, pity the poor,
By the fierce Fire fiend forced to your door;
List to their pleading, list to their cry,
Pass them not heedlessly by....
Roused from their slumbers, peaceful and sweet,
Hastening in terror into the street,
Leaving behind them treasure most dear,
Flying in anguish and fear......

chorus:

Pity the homeless, pity the poor,
By the fierce Fire fiend forced to your door;
List to their pleading, list to their cry,
Pass them not heedlessly by.

2. See how the Fire king leaps in his joy!
As his dead minions haste to destroy;
See how the homes, once peaceful and fair,
Wrapped in the flames, melt in air......
Haste then, and help them, who from their home
Shelterless, foodless, wearily roam,
Pity their anguish, list to their prayers,
Lighten their labors and cares.......

But, there were also songs echoing Joseph Medill's proud declaration that Chicago would rise again. George Root wrote "From the Ruins Our City Shall Rise:"

1. Ruins! Ruins! far and wide
From the river and lake, to the prairie side,
Dreary, dreary and darkness falls,
While the autumn winds moan
thro' the blackened walls.

Chorus a tempo

But see! the bright rift in the cloud.....
And hear! the great voice from the shore....
Our city shall rise! yes she shall rise
Queen of the west once more.......

2. Ruins! Ruins! street and square
In a hopeless confusion are mingled there,
Strangely, strangely our old haunts fade
In the cast open waste that the fire has made.

3. Ruins! Ruins! naught is here
But the wreck of our homes, and our
hopes most dear,
Fallen, fallen in ashes gray
Where they lie with our wealth and
our pride to-day.

For more songs and poems about the Great Chicago Fire, see The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory "Fanning the Flames Library."