Shall I See My Boy Again

Must I die so soon? ah, far away By blue Ohio's shore, A little group waits patiently Till this sad war is o'er; A little face is often pressed Against the window pane, Oh, chaplain only tell me this Shall I see my boy again? Must I never press close to my heart The rings of shining hair, Or listen to my bright-eyed child Whisper his evening prayer, Shall I never hear his bounding step Across the cottage floor? It were not hard to die, chaplain, Could I see my boy once more. When morning broke with solemn tread On old Potomac's banks, His comrades laid the soldier down - Discharged from the ranks, But many a day o'er western hills, By blue Ohio's shore, A little boy will patient wait, When this sad war is o'er.