At the Music Hall: Keep the Home Fires Burning, 1914

Ivor Novello

Keep the Home Fires Burning,
While your hearts are yearning.
Though your lads are far away
They dream of home.
There's a silver lining
Through the dark clouds shining,
Turn the dark cloud inside out
‘Til the boys come home.


Ivor Novello was one of the most popular composers, writers and actors of the early Twentieth Century. The song which launched the career of the brilliant Welshman was Keep The Home Fires Burning. This sentimental favorite with words by Lena Gilbert Ford was one of the most beloved songs of World War I and expressed the feelings of many British families whose lives had been ripped apart as their boys went to war.

Originally, the song was entitled, “’Til the Boys Come Home.” However, it was retitled with the second printing in 1915.