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A Mother's Prayer for Her Boy Out There

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"A Mother's Prayer for Her Boy Out There"
Sheet music cover
Song
Publishedby Joe Morris Music
Released1918
GenreWorld War I song
Composer(s)Arthur Lange
Lyricist(s)Andrew B. Sterling

A Mother's Prayer for Her Boy Out There is a World War I era song released in 1918. Andrew B. Sterling wrote the lyrics and Arthur Lange composed the music.[1] It was written for voice and piano.[2]

The song was published by Joe Morris Music Co. of New York City. On the cover is a woman kneeling down to pray, with a picture of a soldier hanging on the wall behind her.[3]

The lyrics tell the story of a mother who is struggling with the fact that her son is fighting in war. The only way she can find solace is through prayer. It is told in from the third-person point of view. The chorus is as follows:[1]

Just a little prayer
When shadows are stealing
Just a little prayer,
A voice appealing;
To a baby shoe she's clinging
While the Angelus is ringing,
Come the words that start
From an aching heart:
"May angels guard him tenderly
Tonight and send my baby back to me".
That's a mother's prayer
For her boy "out there".

The sheet music can be found at the Library of Congress and Pritzker Military Museum & Library.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 210, 346. ISBN 0-89950-952-5.
  2. ^ "A mother's prayer for her boy out there". Library of Congress. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  3. ^ Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music. Vol. 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 426. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7.
  4. ^ A mother's prayer for her boy out there. OCLC 23115925. Retrieved 20 January 2016 – via OCLC WorldCat.