"Gee! What a Wonderful Time We'll Have When the Boys Come Home" is a
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
era song released in 1917. Lyrics and music were written by Mary Earl. The song was published by
Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. of
New York, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
.
It was written for both voice and piano. The sheet music cover was designed by artist
Albert Wilfred Barbelle
Albert Wilfred Barbelle (1887–1957) was an American artist known well for his work in advertising, particularly cover art for sheet music of Tin Pan Alley. He also illustrated the first Mickey Mouse book.
Early life
Albert Wilfred Barbelle wa ...
. On the cover are soldiers marching down a city street. A skyline is behind them, and the lights spell out, "Welcome Home."
The song calls for a celebration when the soldiers return home from war. The chorus is as follows:
:''Gee! What a wonderful time we'll have''
:''When the boys come home''
:''The girls will be dressed in their Sunday best''
:''When the boys come home''
:''The flags will fly and the bands will play''
:''We'll all turn out with a smile so gay''
:''And ev'ry one shouting, "Hip Hip Hooray:''
:''When the boys come home''
The sheet music can be found at
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...
.
References
External links
View the song MP3 and sheet music here
Songs about soldiers
Songs of World War I
1917 songs
Songs written by Robert A. King (composer)
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