The Prisoner's Hope, or Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!

As the war goes on, popular songs begin to reflect some of it's less-pleasant realities. Following 1862's courageous rallying songs, those from 1863-5 directly address homesickness, conscription, imprisonment, and death.

One of the more uplifting numbers, in my opinion, is George F. Root's 1864 "The Prisoner's Hope", also known by the first line of its refrain as "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!". Here's sheet music, a lyric sheet, and an 1865 sequel "On, On, On The Boys Came Marching!". The following lyrics are taken from Beadle's Dime Song Book, vol. 16 (1864):

In the prison cell I sit,
Thinking, mother dear, of you,
And our bright and happy home so far away:
And the tears they fill my eyes,
Spite of all that I can do,
Though I try to cheer my comrades and be gay.

Chorus.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching,
Cheer up, comrades, they will come
And beneath the starry flag
We shall breathe the air again
Of the free land in our own beloved home.

In the battle front we stood
When their fiercest charge they made,
And they swept us oil a hundred men or more;
But before we reached their lines,
They were beaten back dismayed,
And we heard the cry of victory o'er and o'er.

Chorus

So within the prison cell,
We are waiting for the day
That shall come to open wide the iron door;
And the hollow eye grows bright,
And the poor heart almost gay,
As we think of seeing home and friends once more.

Chorus

Here are some of the recordings available on-line (and alternate verses).