It was fine to be a soldier, when the ship sailed down the bay,
And the shores were filled with people come to watch you sail away.
How the whistles shrieked and shouted on the boats that passed you by,
How the echoing farewell salvos rose until they reached the sky.
How you thought of deeds of valor as you watched the vessel's bow
Cut the waves that tumbled seaward. Ah! It's grimmer business now.
In the darkness of the morning, just before the break of dawn,
On the silent decks you huddle as the vessel hurries on.
One by one you see the fading of the lights along the shore,
And you hear the swash and rustle of the water, nothing more.
Like an exile you must stand there and look out across the foam.
Ah! it takes a heart of iron thus to sail away from home.
