To my friend
The Hon. John Parker, New York.
"Only Hope" (1871)
Song & Chorus
by Henry Tucker.

1.
Black and stormy is the sky,
And the wind goes wailing by
While the billows break upon the spirits shore.
But the time will soon be here
Full of gladness, never fear,
When the sorrows and our toil will all be o're.

CHORUS
Only hope, the days are coming,
Days of peace and goal and golden store,
When the merry harvest time
With the ringing silver chime
Shall forever drive the shadows from your door.

2.
Tho the sky be overcast,
Darkness cannot always last,
Soon we'll see the flashing of the early dawn,
That shall make our fathers bright,
Fill our homes with happy light,
And the sadness from our hearts will then be gone.

(CHORUS)

3.
Flow'rs and fruits will come again,
When the gentle summer rain
Wakes to life the buds among the shining leaves,
And we hear the silve chime
Of the merry harvest time,
As the reapers gather in the golden sheaves.

(CHORUS)