Child Of The Engineer

A little child on a sickbed lay
As death was very near
The parents' pride and the only child
Of a railroad engineer

His duty called him from those he loved
And the house whose light was dimmed
Ah, the tears he shed, to his wife he said
"I will have two lanterns trimmed

Just hang a light by my window tonight
And hang it where it can be seen
If our baby's dead, just hang the red
If she's better, then hang the green"

In this little house by the railroad side
A mother with a watchful eye
Saw a gleam of hope and a feeble smile
As the train went rushing by

Just one short look was his only chance
To see the light agleam
In the midnight air there arose a prayer
Thank my God! The light was green!