Line after line, you swung along,
You men, who only a while ago
Were just a part of the city's throng
Working for self, sedate and slow.
But now — what a diff'rence! Living throbs
Of the Nation's heart! Her reborn men;
And some who saw you gulped back sobs —
And wished you were marching home again!
Our eyes were dim as you went past,
For we knew you — at last!
We felt that every senseless joke
About a soldier, wherever made,
Would make us ashamed.... For now we choke
Whenever the Colors and you parade!
Wherever that O. D. uniform
Shall gladden the eyes of we useless men
We can n't forget who is meeting the storm —
That some of you wo n't come home again!
You went.... We talked.... God blot the past!
For we know you — at last!