Home Sweet Home

We tend to think of "home" as a fixed place, but I think of it as some sort of emotional excretion. It just kind of collects when we stay in one place; like we shed "home" particles wherever we happen to be.

Home, sweet home; 1796 edition

According to Google Books this was the first mention of the phrase in English:

Sing a sweet melodious measure,
Waft enchanting lays around ;
Home, a theme replete with pleasure,
Home, a grateful theme, resound !

Chorus:

Home, sweet home ! an ample treasure !
Home ! with ev'ry blessing crown'd !
Home ! perpetual source of pleasure !
Home ! a noble strain resound !

--From The Beauties of England and Wales; Volume VI--

This was an English translation of a Latin song, Dolce Domum, sung by students at Winchester College just before they went home for summer. At the time of its translation it was considered to be about 100 years old.

Here is the song being performed.

CD player, 1889 edition

According to the patent, the invention wasn't the entire piano, just an attachment that let you play recordings on it with a crank. Fun times.

Completely modern, 1823 edition

Mercury and lead, manufactured in various forms, are unhappily too common ingredients in many of our modern cosmetics...

--From A Modern System of Domestic Cookery--

Everyone who has ever lived, has lived in modern times.

Here's some modern music:



It turns out "Home, Sweet Home" is from an opera. The song became a pop hit, and all those needlepoints with the words "Home Sweet Home" on them are actually homemade memorabilia!