The Letter Marked “Unclaimed”

Bob Nolan
Original copyright: 1946

I wrote you a letter, darling.
Now your silence is explained
For the postman just returned it
And, my dear, it’s marked “unclaimed.”
So the seal will stay unbroken
And a broken heart remains
There with every word I wrote you
In this letter marked, “unclaimed.”

I know we will meet again, dear,
In a world of peace and rest.
Then we’ll climb the ivy mountain
Where the sun slopes down the west.
There my heart will whisper, darling,
To your heart in sweet refrain.
Then we’ll write the answer, darling,
To this letter marked “unclaimed.”

Written during the WWII years when so many letters went unanswered and unclaimed, this song touched a sympathetic chord in the hearts of listeners. With his inimitable gift—that ability to walk mentally and emotionally in someone else's shoes—Bob wrote this tender song. Recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers on September 2, 1946, Bob Nolan registered it for copyright early the following year. We have found no sheet music or lead sheets.

We do not have any sheet music for this song.

SONS OF THE PIONEERS TRANSCRIPTION RECORDINGS

Teleways Radio Productions transcriptions, No. 137