by J. Francis Barron (c1868 - 1940)
The trumpeter
Language: English
Trumpeter, what are you sounding now? (Is it the call I'm seeking?) "You'll know the call," said the Trumpeter tall, "When my trumpet goes a-speakin'. I'm rousin' 'em up; I'm wakin' 'em up, The tents are astir in the valley, And there's no more sleep with the sun's first peep, For I'm soundin' the old 'Reveille!'" Trumpeter, what are you sounding now? (Is it the call I'm seeking?) "Can't mistake the call," said the Trumpeter tall, "When my trumpet goes a-speakin'. I'm urgin' 'em on, They're scamperin' on, There's a drummin' of hoofs like thunder. There's a madd'nin' shout as the sabres flash out, For I'm sounding the 'Charge' no wonder." Trumpeter, what are you sounding now? (Is it the call I'm seeking?) "Lucky for you if you hear it at all For my trumpet's but faint in speakin', I'm callin' 'em home! Come home! Come home! Tread light o'er the dead in the valley, Who are lyin' around face down to the ground, And they can't hear me sound the 'Rally'. But they'll hear it again in a grand refrain, When Gabriel sounds the last 'Rally'."
Authorship:
- by J. Francis Barron (c1868 - 1940) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by J. Airlie Dix (18?? - 1911), "The trumpeter", published 1904. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 187