'Twas a sad, sad hour of parting,
And my heart has known no joy,
Since he kissed me on the doorstep,
Since I parted from my boy.
He has gone among the strangers,
Many, many miles from me,
And I pray for God's protection,
For my boy across the sea.
chorus:
Oh! I know he dreams of loved ones,
And he often thinks of me,
While I weep tears of affection,
For my boy across the sea.
When we parted on the doorstep,
Tears of sorrow dimm'd his eye,
And I felt my heart was breaking,
When he sadly said “goodbye!”
His father, sisters, brothers,
Shared their sorrows too, with me,
For they knew a mother's feelings,
For her boy across the sea.
He has gone, perhaps forever,
We may never meet again,
All his hopes of home and mother,
May be buried where he's lain.
But I care not where he's sleeping,
His last thoughts will surely be,
That his poor, heartbroken mother,
Loved her boy across the sea.