"By and bye" the maiden sighed---"by and bye
He will claim me for his bride.
Hope is strong and time is fleet;
Youth is fair, and love is sweet.
Clouds will pass that fleck my sky.
He will come back by and bye---by and bye."

"By and bye," the soldier said---"by and bye,
After I have fought and bled,
I shall go home from the wars,
Crowned with glory, seamed with scars.
Joy will flash from some one's eye
When she greets me by and bye---by and bye."

"By and bye," the mother cried---"by and bye.
Strong and sturdy at my side,
Like a staff supporting me,
Will my bonnie baby be.
Break my rest, then, wail and cry---
Thou'lt repay me by and bye---by and bye."

Fleeting years of time have sped---hurried by---
Still the maiden is unwed;
All unknown the soldier lies,
Buried under alien skies;
And the son, with blood-shot eye,
Saw his mother starve and die.
God in Heaven! dost Thou on high,
Keep the promised by and bye---by and bye?