Not another foot was stirring on the floor of the house
except for my 'pa who'd been up for a while
Seems he's headin' on after the bad word that came,
of his brothers who marched but were left down all slain
Please call out the cavalry
Send them along
For we need our daddy,
and so does this farm
Mama stays awake to pray,
in a lonely straw bed
and we rise before the sun
with the work that he left
He took what mama made him to feed him on his way
he kissed all my brothers, my sisters, and me
he held my poor mama, looked down and said, "Son,
I'll be home soon, now hand me my coat and my gun."
Please call out the cavalry
Send them along
For we need our daddy
and so does this farm
Mama stays awake to pray
in a lonely straw bed
and we rise before the sun
with the work that he left
It's been some days without him, but we've toiled away
hang onto the cattle and the crops that we've laid
mama sits by the window and stares until dark
and rocks by the fire and cries out her heart
Please call out the cavalry
Send my man home
For we need our daddy
and so does this farm
mama stays awake to pray, in a lonely straw bed
and we rise before the sun, for the work that you left
been about a year since my daddy had gone
when I saw an old carriage, and a coat I'd once known
it was draped o'er a man who once stood proud and tall
now broken and battered and missing an arm
he cried when he saw us, and the words they came slow
of the sunrise he found and the hell that he'd known
he asked for forgiveness for failing us all
his duty cut short, in the battle he lost
We said, "don't mind that daddy, for now you are home,
now mama cries for joy, and she won't sleep alone.
You've sons and you've daughters, now please use our arms."
Now rise before the sun, for the work to be done.