Oh the lilies were laid on the marble in the field
where the ancestors lay,
And the forest was dark and primeval but the boughs
seemed to cradle as they swayed,
And the church choir sang hallelujah,
and the vernal breeze whispered a sigh,
Watch the brethren all stand, praise their God, raise your hand,
Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye

When the boots hit the dirt in formation the mood was
determined and bright,
And a young, hopeful boy at the station watched the
train carry troops to the fight,
But the generals died by assassins, the battalions dispersed on the fly,
And they paid for their sins with the blood of their kin,
Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye

In the dark heathen barracks of failure where the tormenters
wait for the night,
And the sheltering sky hears their lost, tattered cries,
Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye