Pebbles and Shells (Hawkes collection)/Reveille Song

by Clarence Hawkes

REVEILLE SONG

The soldier slept in his guarded tent,
 The night was nearly done,
The twinkling stars in the firmament
 Were fading one by one;
He dreamed of home and his waiting wife
 And heaved a long drawn breath,
Of the battlefield and its sick'ning strife
 And agonies of death.—

Awake! awake! 'tis the warning drum,
Fall into line, for the foemen come.
Awake! awake! 'tis the warning drum;
Fall into line, for the foemen come.

The soldier wakes with a sudden start
 And reaches for his gun,
'Midst crashing shell and shrieking shot
 He fights till day is done.
At set of sun, on the slippery banks,
 Pierced by a score of balls,
The foremost man in the foremost ranks,
 The brave young soldier falls.

Charge on! charge on! is the stirring cry,
The day is won, for the foemen fly.
Charge on! charge on! is the stirring cry;
The day is won, for the foemen fly.

The soldier sleeps in "his low green tent,"
 Encoffined in the mold,
The selfsame stars in the firmament
 Are shining as of old.
The same dear flag that he loved so well
 Above him still doth wave,
And the sweet wild rose and the asphodel
 Are growing on his grave.

Asleep, asleep, is the soldier there,
And he'll not wake for a martial air.
Asleep, asleep, is the soldier there
And he'll not wake for a martial air.

The soldier wakes with a sudden thrill,
 The reveille of God
Has sounded forth from the throned hills
 And burst the matted sod.
An Angel read from the records then
 On leaves of flaming gold,
They gave their lives for their fellow men,
 As Jesus did of old.

Abide with me, is the Lord's reply,
And dwell for aye with the saints on high.
Abide with me, is the Lord's reply,
And dwell for aye with the saints on high.