Little
Boy Blue "The little toy
dog is covered with dust, But sturdy and
staunch he
stands; And the little toy soldier is
red with
rust, And his
musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy
dog was new, And the soldier was passing fair; And that was the
time when our Little
Boy Blue Kissed them and put them there. "'Now,
don't you go till I come,' he said, 'And
don't you make any
noise!' So, toddling off to his trundle-
bed, He dreamt of the pretty toys; And, as he was dreaming, an
angel song Awakened our Little
Boy Blue"- The poem goes on to tell how Little
Boy Blue dies unbeknownst to the toys who
sit faithfully awaiting his
return. In 1892 the poem was put to music and made into a
song by
American composers
Reginald De Koven (1859-1920) and Ethelbert Nevin (1862-1901).