FROM THE GREAT WAR
167
IN SERVICE
Say, Pa! What is a service flag?
I see them everywhere.
There's little stars sewed on them;
What are they doing there?
Sometimes there's lots of little stars,
And sometimes just a few,
Poor Widow Jones has only one—
I saw her crying, too.
My darling boy, those little stars,
Upon a field of white,
Are emblems of our glorious boys
Enrolling for the right.
The border, as you see, is red,
Which represents their blood;
The stars are blue, the heavenly hue;
The white is always good.
Each star you see means some brave boy
Has left his hearth and home
And gone to fight for Freedom's cause
Wherever he may roam.
So when you see a lot of stars
Lift up your heart with joy,
And when you see a single one,
Pray for some mother's boy.
