Coat of Blue
27th Iowa Top Banner

Submitted by Koralyn Kibee

Grandpa's Coat of Blue
Composed and Written by
James Briar, Company A, 27th Iowa
1909


Grandpa's Coat of Blue


Now, my darling dear, come sit you here
  And I'll tell you what I'll do:
I will sing you a song, it will not be long,
  All about my coat of blue

When I enlisted with Uncle Sam,
  In the year of sixty-two
He says to me: "My boy, you see,
  You can wear this coat of blue."

I says: "All right, now, Uncle Sam,
  While I remain with you
I will never do a thing, you see,
  To disgrace this coat of blue."

And for three long years I stayed with him,
  Until that cruel war was through:
And I never done a thing while there
  To disgrace this coat of blue.

When I came home in sixty-five
  And that terrible war was through:
I went to see my Sadie dear,
  And I wore that coat of blue

When Sadie saw me coming
  She fairly skipped and flew
To throw her arms around me
  And embrace that coat of blue.

I says to her: "My Sadie, dear,
  I've come home to stay with you;
We will spend our lives together,
  And I'll wear this coat of blue."

Says she: "My darling soldier boy,
  I am so proud of you,
Since you've come to me again,
  As you promised you would do.

Now you and I'll get married,
  As we promised each we'd do;
And we will sail through life together
  While you wear this coat of blue."

Now Sadie and I have children ten,
  Boys eight, and girls but two;
And through all these years of wedded life:
  I wore the coat of blue.

Now those children have gone and left us,
  As they all had a right to do;
Yes, left us alone, as we started,
  Just forty-four years ago.

But whene're they return they are welcome,
Yes, they would surely be welcomed by two;
For their old father and mother would greet them
As nobody else would do.

Now, of course, we are left very lonely,
  Left alone, with only us two:
But, of course, we will have to endure it,
  And paddle our own canoe.

I shall never go back on my Sadie dear,
  For to me she's proved faithful and true:
And I intend to stay by her as long as life lasts,
  And also this old coat of blue.

But now I am old and feeble, you see,
  And my age it is seventy-two:
And through all those years of toil and strife
  I still wear this coat of blue.

When I am laid out and my time here is done,
  And my labors on this earth are through;
There is one request that I ask of my friends,
  That my shroud be the coat of blue.

Now my darling, dear, while you've sat here,
  As your papa used to do:
I have sang you this song, it was not very long,
  All about my coat of blue.