To Mrs. Rebecca McCullough, Louisville, Ky.
"My Boy Across the Sea" [1872]
SONG and CHORUS.
Written and composed by WILL S. HAYS.
[William Shakespeare Hays, 1837-1907]

[Plate no.] 968-3
[Source: IMSLP (Louisville)]

1. ’Twas a sad, sad hour of parting,
And my heart has known no joy,
Since he kissed me on the doorsteps,
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 1-3.
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.

2. 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,
Shar’d their sorrows too with me,
For they knew a mother’s feelings
For her boy across the sea.

3. 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 nor where he’s sleeping,
His last thoughts will surely be
That his poor, heartbroken mother
Loved her boy across the sea.