Historic Sheet Music Collection
Title
Document Type
Score
Publication Date
1917
Lyrics
There's a happy time coming when the boys come home,
There's a glorious day coming when the boys come home;
We will end the dreadful story of the battle dark and gory
In a sunburst of glory, when the boys come home.
The day will seem brighter when the boys come home,
And our hearts will be lighter when the boys come home;
Wives and sweethearts will press them in their arms and caress them,
And pray God to bless them when the boys come home.
The thin ranks will be proudest when the boys come home,
And our cheer will ring the loudest when the boys come home;
The full ranks will be shattered, and the bright arms will be battered,
And the battle standards tattered, when the boys come home.
Their bayonets may be rusty when the boys come home,
And their uniforms be dusty when the boys come home;
But all shall see the traces of battle's royal graces
In the brown and bearded faces when the boys come home.
Our love shall go to meet them when the boys come home,
To bless them and to greet them when the boys come home,
And the fame of their endeavor time and change shall not dissever
From the
Recommended Citation
Speaks, Oley, "When the Boys Come Home" (1917). Historic Sheet Music Collection. 1579.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sheetmusic/1579
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.
Comments
When the Boys Come Home
Words by John Hay
Music by Oley Speaks
Written by the late Secretary of State during the Civil War,
while he was private Sec. to Pres. Lincoln
New York. Published by G. Schirmer.
Some of the resources may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials should be seen in the context of the time period and as a reflection of attitudes of the time. The items are part of the historical record, and do not represent the views of the libraries or the institution.