Three days before my death,
I resigned to my fate.
All the hopeful and the lonely
Came to study my face.
I remembered last December
In my back-porch request.
I remembered you my sweetheart,
And I looked to the West.

Now the battle din is o'ershot
And shell cannon roar
Sad hearts within us die
Useless now, good swords lie.
Now the battle din is o'ershot
And shell canon roar.
Sad hearts within us die
And the swallows homeward fly.

If you see me sitting eastward
With my face to the sun,
If you see me on your back-porch
Like I did when we were young,
In the shadows of the morning,
Where you first were my bride,
Don't try speaking,
Don't start crying,
Just sit down by my side.

Now the battle din is o'ershot
And shell-canon roar,
Sad hearts within us die.
Useless now, good swords lie.
Now the battle din is o'ershot
And shell-canon roar,
Sad hearts within us die,
And the swallows homeward fly.

Three days before my death,
I resigned to my death.
All the hopeless and the lonely
Came to study my face.
I remembered last December,
In my back-porch request.
I remember you my sweetheart,
And I look to the West.