"O Come You From the Indies?
or Robert's Return From the War" 
(c1861; 26 Sep 1862; Copyright Library June 1863;
No. 736; 23143; M1640.R)
A Coloquy for Two Voices [Soprano & Tenor]
by George Frederick Root, 1820-1895

Chicago: ROOT & CADY, 95 Clark St.
Plate No. 86 7
[Source: 200001900@LoC/IHAS-CWM]

1. [Soprano]
“O come you from the Indies, 
And soldier can you tell,
About the gallant Ninetieth, 
And who are safe and well;
O soldier say my son is safe;
For nothing else I care,
And you shall have a mother’s thanks,
A widow’d mother’s prayer.” 

2. [Tenor]
“O I’ve come from the Indies,
I’ve come right from the war;
And well I know he Ninetieth,
And gallant lads they are;
From colonel down to rank and file,
I know my comrades well,
And news I’ve brought for you mother
Your Robert bade me tell.”

3. [Soprano]
“And do you know my Robert now;
O tell me, tell me true,
O! soldier, tell me word for word,
All that he said to you;
His very words, my own boy’s words,
O! tell me ev’ry one!
You little know how dear to his
Old mother is her son.”

4. [Tenor]
“Thro’ Havelock’s fights and marches,
The ninetieth were there;
In all the gallant Ninetieth did
You Robert did his share;
Twice went he into Lucknow,
Untouched by steel or ball,
And you may bless your God old dame
That bro’t him safe thro’ all.”

5. [Soprano]
“O thanks unto the loving God
That heard his mother’s pray’r;
The widow’s cry that rose on high,
Her only son to spare;
O bless’d be God that turned from him
The sword and shot away,
And what to his old mother did
My darling bid you say?”

6. [Tenor]
“Mother, he saved the colonel’s life,
And bravely it was done;
In the dispatch they told it all,
And nam’d and prais’d your son;
A medal and a pension, his;
Good luck to him I say,
And he has not a comrade but
Will wish him well today.”

7. [Soprano]
“Now soldier blessings on your tongue;
O husband could you know
How well our boy pay’d me this day
For all that I’ve gone through,
All I have done and borne for him
The long years since your dead!
But soldier, tell me how he look’d
And all my Robert said.”

8. [Tenor]
He’s bronz’d and tann’d and bearded and
You’d hardly know him dame;
We’ve made your boy into a man,
But his heart’s the same,
For often still he talks of you,
And always to one tune,
But there, his ship is nearly home
And he’ll be with you soon.”

9. [Soprano]
O! is he really coming home,
And shall I really see
My boy again, .my own boy home;
And when, when will it be?
Did you say soon? [Tenor] “Well he is home,
Keep cool old dame, he’s here.”
[Soprano] “O Robert, my own blessed boy,“
[Tenor] “O mother, mother dear.”

[DUET with overlapping voices]
[Soprano]
O! happy happy meeting,
My boy is home again
O! happy happy meeting,
My Robert’s home again.
[Tenor]
O! happy happy meeting,
At home, at home again.
O! happy happy meeting,
O mother, home again.