Page type: lyric reference
Artist: The Decemberists
Canonical path: /the-decemberists/yankee-bayonet-i-will-be-home-then
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
Read Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) lyrics by The Decemberists on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Heart-carved tree trunk, Yankee bayonet
A sweetheart left behind
Far from the hills of the sea-swelled Carolinas
That's where my true love lies
Look for me when the sun-bright swallow
Sings upon the birch bough high
But you are in the ground with the voles and the weevils
All a'chew upon your bones so dry
But when the sun breaks
To no more bulletin battle-cry
Then will you make a grave
For I will be home then
I will be home then
I will be home then
I will be home then
Then
When I was a girl how the hills of Oconee
Made a seam to hem me in
There at the fair when our eyes caught, careless
Got my heart right pierced by a pin
But oh, did you see all the dead of Manassas
All the bellies and the bones and the bile
Though I lingered here with the blankets barren
And my own belly big with child
But when the sun breaks
To no more bulletin battle-cry
Then will you make a grave
For I will be home then
I will be home then
I will be home then
I will be home then
Stems and bones and stone walls too
Could keep me from you
Scaly skin is all too few
To keep me from you
But oh my love, though our bodies may be parted
Though our skin may not touch skin
Look for me with the sun-bright sparrow
I will come on the breath of the wind
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)"?
The Decemberists performs "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)", and this lyric page sits inside the The Decemberists catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)"?
Yes. The related section below points to A Bower Scene and Like A Lion with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by The Decemberists?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through The Decemberists's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.