The blue bird is singing his lay, 
To all the sweet flow'rs of the dale, 
The wild bee is roaming at play, 
And soft is the sigh of the gale; 

I stray by the brookside alone, 
Where oft we have wander'd before, 
And weep for my lov'd one, my own, 
My Willie has gone to war! 

Chorus: 
Willie has gone to war, 
Willie, Willie my lov'd one my own; 
Willie has gone to war, 
Willie, Willie my lov'd one is gone. 

'Twas here, where the lily bells grow, 
I last saw his noble young face, 
And now while he's gone to the foe, 
Oh! dearly I love the old place; 

The whispering waters repeat 
The name that I love o'er and o'er, 
And daisies that nod at my feet, 
Say Willie has gone to war! 

The leaves of the forest will fade, 
The roses will wither and die, 
But spring to our home in the glade 
On fairy like pinions will fly; 

And still I will hopefully wait 
The day when these battles are o'er, 
And pine like a bird for its mate, 
Till Willie comes home from the war!