Where Have You Gone, My Child

Where have you gone, my child
Now I must weep for thee
Upon the heart there bares a wound
Much deeper than the sea.

I saw you as you walked away
Across the meadow green
It seems like only yesterday
A lad just turned eighteen.

With rucksack on your back, you left
You turned to say goodbye
A wave of hand, then you were gone
As tears slipped from my eyes.

A war to fight on distant shores
So brave of you to go
But word came that you had fallen
And that is all they know.

A single sheet of paper white
A purple heart to come
This is all they sent to me
What happened to my son?

Misty rain is falling now
A flag is folded square
As distant guns salute your death
My heart sinks in despair.

Where have you gone, my child
Now I must weep for thee
Inside my soul there is a wound
Much deeper than the sea.