There's_a_Light_That's_Burning_in_the_Window_of_the_Little_House_Upon_the_Hill
There's a Light That's Burning in the Window of the Little House Upon the Hill
1915 song
"There's a Light That's Burning in the Window of the Little House Upon the Hill" is a World War I era song released in 1915. Joe Goodwin and Harry Puck composed the music. Ballard MacDonald wrote the lyrics. Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. of New York, New York published the song. It was written for both voice and piano.[1][2][3]
Walter M. Dunk designed the sheet music cover. It features an elderly woman and her dog sitting near a white picket fence and a dirt road that leads to a house. On the bottom left is an inset photo, which differs depending on the version, of either Belle Rutland, Bob Buchanan, or Ben Smith. [1]
The song is told from the point of view of a soldier, who is feeling lonely. What helps him pull through is envisioning his mother waiting for him and a light burning in their house's window. This image adds to the song's hopeful tone. The chorus is as follows: [2]
- There's a light that's burning in the window
- Of a little house upon the hill
- And the light will burn
- And a heart will yearn
- And it will till I return
- For there's only one mother
- I know she's waiting still
- And she'll always keep the light burning
- in the window of the little house upon the hill
The sheet music can be found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library.[4]