'Twas an afternoon in springtime Folks were jolly everywhere Planning for entertainment They never dreamed that death was near To a lonely country school house Were they thought that they would go Just to have a jolly evening In the children's little show You could hear those children singin' Their voices rang so clear and sweet They never dreamed in all their joy Of the fate they were to meet But their play just worse than lasted They began to scream and rage For a lamp exploded that evening Streaming fire upon the stage You could hear those children screaming As the flames were roaring high Daddy come and get your babies Would you stand and see us die Someone jumped into an auto Homing off the (?) Dashing from the burning building On a wild and reckless ride As they said in the (?) News finally shot to town Telling of the sad disaster The school was burning down You could hear those children screaming As the flames were roaring high Daddy come and get your babies Would you stand and see us die Automobile (?) Waited till the rising sun (?) For the one that never came There's a lonely spire in Cleveland Nicely fenced around in wire There's a monument erected Tells the story of the fire You could hear those children screaming As the flames were roaring high Daddy come and get your babies Would you stand and see us die