Willie Has Gone To The War

This is one song of the "Willie" series to which Foster did not write the words. George Cooper was the author and Foster set the words to music.

It was composed during the last years of Foster's life in which he lived a miserable life of hardship and poverty. He was cold and hungry and composed this song and sold it for $25 so he could buy food. Background music is in the key of D

Messenger Bag with harmonica logo

 6    6    7  -7  -6   6  -5   5
The blue-bird is sing-ing his lay,

 6  6  -5    5      5    -4  4   -4
To all the sweet flow'rs of the dale,

 6    6   7  -7  -6   6  -5   5
The wild bee is roam-ing at play,

 5   -4   5 -5    5  -4 -4    4
And soft is the sigh of the gale;

5   5   -6 -7    7    -7  7  -6
I stray by the brook-side a-lone,

  5    7  -7  -7  -6   -7   -6   6
Where oft we have wan-der'd be-fore,

 6    6   7  -7   -6   6   -5  5
And weep for my lov'd one, my own,

 5 -4   5  -5    5  -4 -4   4
My Wil-lie has gone to the war!

chorus

 6   5  -5  -5 5  -4  4   7   -6   7
Wil-lie has go-ne to the war, Wil-lie,

 6   5   5   5   -4    4 -4
Wil-lie my lov'd one, my own;

 6   5   5  -5 5  -4  4   7   -6   7
Wil-lie has go-ne to the war, Wil-lie,

 6   7   8  8  -8 -6   -7   7
Wil-lie my lov-'d one, is gone!

Verse 2
'Twas here, where the lilly bells grow, I last saw his noble young face,
And now while he's gone to the foe, Oh! dearly I love the old place;
The whispering waters repeat, the name that I love o'er and o'er,
And daisies that nod at my fee, Say Willie has gone to the war!