by John Hay, Col. (1838 - 1905)
There's a happy time coming when the...
Language: English
There's a happy time coming when the boys come home; There's a glorious [day]1 coming when the boys come home; We will end the dreadful story Of this treason dark and gory In a sunburst of glory, When the boys come home. The day will seem brighter when the boys come home, [For]2 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 [thinned]3 ranks will be proudest when the boys come home, And [their]4 cheer will ring the loudest when the boys come home. The full ranks will be [shattered]5, And the bright arms will be [battered]6, And the battle-standards tattered, When the boys come home. [Their]7 bayonets may be rusty when the boys come home, And their uniforms [dusty]8 when the boys come home. But all shall see the traces Of [battle's]9 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 nation's heart forever, When the boys come home.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: John Hay was private secretary to President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State during the McKinley and Roosevelt administrations.
1 Speaks: "time"
2 Allitsen, Speaks: "And"
3 Allitsen: "thinn'd"; Speaks: "thin"
4 Speaks: "our"
5 Allitsen: "shatter'd"
6 Allitsen: "batter'd"
7 Speaks: "The"
8 Speaks: "be dusty"
9 Speaks: "the battle's"
Authorship:
- by John Hay, Col. (1838 - 1905), "When the boys come home" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Frances Allitsen (1848 - 1912), "When the boys come home", published 1887 [ voice and piano ], London : Boosey [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Oley Speaks (1874 - 1948), "When the boys come home: The song of all nations" [ vocal trio or TTB chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-11-24
Line count: 30
Word count: 217