A World War I song from 1917
Words by John Hay
Music by Oley Speaks
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Denese Coulbeck:
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 nation’s heart forever
From the nation’s heart forever
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: