Taps " Taps " is a musical piece sounded at dusk , and at funerals , particularly by the U . S . military . It is sounded during flag ceremonies and funeral s , generally on bugle or trumpet , and often at Boy Scout , Girl Scout and Girl Guide meetings and camps . The tune is also sometimes known as " Butterfield s Lullaby " , or by the first line of the lyric , " Day is Done " . Etymology . The term originates from the Dutch term " taptoe " , meaning " close the ( beer ) taps ( and send the troops back to camp ) " . " Military tattoo " comes from the same origin . History . The tune is a variation of an earlier bugle call known as the " Scott Tattoo " which was used in the U . S . from 1835 until 1860 , and was arranged in its present form by the Union Army Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield , an American Civil War general and Medal of Honor recipient who commanded the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division in the V Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac while at Harrison ' s Landing , Virginia , in July 1862 to replace a previous French bugle call used to signal " lights out " . Butterfield ' s bugler , Oliver Wilcox Norton , of East Springfield , Pennsylvania , was the first to sound the new call . Within months , " Taps " was used by both Union and Confederate forces . It was officially recognized by the United States Army in 1874 . " Taps " concludes many military funeral s conducted with honors at Arlington National Cemetery , as well as hundreds of others around the United States . The tune is also sounded at many memorial services in Arlington ' s Memorial Amphitheater and at grave sites throughout the cemetery . Captain John C . Tidball , West Point Class of 1848 , started the custom of playing taps at military funerals . In early July 1862 at Harrison ’ s Landing , a corporal of Tidball ’ s Battery A , 2nd Artillery , died . He was , Tidball recalled later , “ a most excellent man . ” Tidball wished to bury him with full military honors , but , for military reasons , he was refused permission to fire three guns over the grave . Tidball later wrote , “ The thought suggested itself to me to sound taps instead , which I did . The idea was taken up by others , until in a short time it was adopted by the entire army and is now looked upon as the most appropriate and touching part of a military funeral . ” As Tidball proudly proclaimed , “ Battery A has the honor of having introduced this custom into the service , and it is worthy of historical note . ” It became a standard component to U . S . military funerals in 1891 . " Taps " is sounded during each of the 2 , 500 military wreath ceremonies conducted at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every year , including the ones held on Memorial Day . The ceremonies are viewed by many people , including veterans , school groups , and foreign officials . " Taps " also is sounded nightly in military installations at non - deployed locations to indicate that it is " lights out " , and often by Boy Scouts , Girl Scouts and Girl Guides to mark the end of an evening event such as a campfire . Melody and lyrics . The melody of " Taps " is composed entirely from the written notes of the C major triad ( i . e . , C , E , and G , with the G used in the lower and higher octaves ) . This is because the bugle , for which it is written , can play only the notes in the harmonic series of the instrument ' s fundamental tone ; a B - flat bugle thus plays the notes B - flat , D , and F . " Taps " uses the third , fourth , fifth , and sixth partials . [ Note : in E - flat this transposes to B - flat , E - flat and G . ] There is one original set of lyrics meant to accompany the music , written by Horace Lorenzo Trim : " Day is done , gone the sun " < br > " From the lakes , from the hills , from the sky " < br > " All is well , safely rest " < br > " God is nigh . " < br > " Fading light dims the sight " < br > " And a star gems the sky , gleaming bright " < br > " From afar , drawing near " < br > " Falls the night . " < br > " Thanks and praise for our days " < br > " Neath the sun , neath the stars , neath the sky " < br > " As we go , this we know " < br > " God is nigh . " < br > Several later lyrical adaptations have been created . One , written by Horace Lorenzo Trim , is shown below : " Fading light dims the sight " < br > " And a star gems the sky , gleaming bright " < br > " From afar drawing nigh , " < br > " Falls the night . " < br > < br > " Day is done , gone the sun " < br > " From the lakes , from the hills , from the skies " < br > " All is well , safely rest ; " < br > " God is nigh . " < br > < br > " Then goodnight , peaceful night ; " < br > " Till the light of the dawn shineth bright . " < br > " God is near , do not fear , " < br > " Friend , goodnight . " The other popular version , penned and harmonized by famed composer Josef Pasternack , is : " Love , sweet dreams ! " < br > " Lo , the beams of the light Fairy moon kissed the streams , " < br > " Love , Goodnight ! " < br > " Ah so soon ! " < br > " Peaceful dreams ! " Another set of lyrics , used in a recording made by John Wayne about the song , is : " Fading light " < br > " Falling night " < br > " Trumpet call , as the sun , sinks in flight " < br > " " Sleep in peace , comrades dear , " < br > " God is near . " Legends . There are several legend s concerning the origin of " Taps " . The most widely circulated one states that a Union Army infantry officer , whose name often is given as Captain Robert Ellicombe , first ordered " Taps " performed at the funeral of his son , a Confederate soldier killed during the Peninsula Campaign . This apocryphal story claims that Ellicombe found the tune in the pocket of his son ' s clothing and performed it to honor his memory , but there is no record of any man named Robert Ellicombe holding a commission as captain in the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign . That Daniel Butterfield composed " Taps " has been sworn to by numerous reputable witnesses including his bugler Norton , who first performed the tune . While scholars continue to debate whether or not the tune was original or based on an earlier melody , few researchers doubt that Butterfield is responsible for the current tune . Another , perhaps more historically verifiable , account of " Taps " first being used in the context of a military funeral involves John C . Tidball , a Union artillery captain who during a break in fighting ordered the tune sounded for a deceased soldier in lieu of the more traditional — and much less discreet — three volley tribute . Army Col . James A . Moss , in an Officer ' s Manual initially published in 1911 , reports the following : " During the Peninsula Campaign in 1862 , a soldier of Tidball ' s Battery A of the 2nd Artillery was buried at a time when the battery occupied an advanced position concealed in the woods . It was not safe to fire the customary three volleys over the grave , on account of the proximity of the enemy , and it occurred to Capt . Tidball that the sounding of Taps would be the most appropriate ceremony that could be substituted . " While not necessarily addressing the origin of the " Taps " , this does represent the first recorded instance of " Taps " being sounded as part of a military funeral . Until then , while the tune had meant that the soldiers ' day of work was finished , it had little to none of the connotation or overtone of death , with which it so often is associated today . Another lesser - known legend is that of Lieutenant William Waid paying saloon - keepers to shut off the taps to the kegs when the song was played in a neighboring army camp . LT Waid ' s name has not been found in Union or Confederate records . Non - military variants . Although primarily used within the military , several local or special variations of the tune are performed , primarily by organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America or American military schools . Echo Taps and Silver Taps . Echo Taps is a song traditionally played at American military schools such as Norwich University , The Citadel , NMMI and Texas A & M University when a member or former member of a school ' s Corps of Cadets is killed in action . At Norwich University , the ceremony is held on the Upper Parade Ground , where the Corps of Cadets forms up silently at 2245 ( 10 : 45 p . m . ) for tattoo , and then stand in silence until 2300 ( 11 : 00 p . m . ) when echo taps is played , at which time unit commanders tacitly will give the commands of attention and present arms . The Regimental Bugler stands either near the flagpole in front of Jackman Hall or on Jackman ' s balcony and plays the main tune of Taps . The echoing bugler will stand on the steps of Dewey Hall facing the Parade Ground and echo each series of notes . Following the playing of taps , the Corps of Cadets dismisses in silence . At Texas A & M , Echo Taps is held on the Quadrangle ( the 12 - dorm complex that is used mainly by the Corps ) at 10 : 00 p . m . the night they find out . For the ceremony the Corps falls out and forms up along the length of the quad , a bugler is posted at the megaphone on the south end and another is at the arches on the north end , cadets salute and the bugler on the south end plays the first three notes of Silver Taps the bugler on the north end echoes , the bugler on the south end plays the next three notes and is echoed for the rest of the song . Cadets then return to their dorms . By far , one of Texas A & M ' s most honored traditions is Silver Taps . Silver Taps is held for a graduate or undergraduate student who dies while enrolled at A & M . This final tribute is held the first Tuesday of the month when a student has died the previous month . The first Silver Taps was held in 1898 and honored Lawrence Sullivan Ross , the former governor of Texas and president of A & M College . Silver Taps is currently held in the Academic Plaza . On the day of Silver Taps , a small card with the deceased students name , class , major , and date of birth is placed as a notice at the base of the academic flagpole , in addition to the memorial located behind the flagpole . Around 10 : 15 that night , the lights are extinguished and hymns chime from Albritton Tower . Students silently gather at the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross . At 10 : 30 p . m . , the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad marches into the plaza and fires three rifle volleys . Six Buglers then play a special rendition of Silver Taps by Colonel Richard Dunn ( Aggie Band Director , 1924 - 1946 ) . Taps is played three times from the dome of the Academic Building : once to the north , south , and west . It is not played to the east because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again . After the buglers play , the students silently return to their homes . Silver Taps is a sacred tradition that Aggies hold dear . Students return to their dorms , and lights remain extinguished until Reveille the next morning . At New Mexico Military Institute , " Echo Taps " ( otherwise known as " Silver Taps " ) is played by three trumpets on a night designated by the alumni association . This ceremony is held in the Hagerman Barracks to remember all the alumni who had died of normal causes or KIA that year . This ceremony also includes the lighting and extinguishing of a candle for every alumni of the year . One bugler is posted at the north , south , and west side of the barracks and the candles at the east . After this early " Taps " , complete silence marks the rest of the night . Army Regulation 220 - 90 , Army Bands dated December 2007 , Paragraph 2 - 5h ( 1 ) states the following : “ Echo Taps ” or “ Silver Taps , ” the practice of performing “ Taps ” with multiple buglers , is not authorized . “ Echo Taps ” is not a part of Army tradition and improperly uses bugler assets . Army Regulation 600 - 25 , Salutes , Honors , and Visits of Courtesy , dated September 2004 , Glossary , Section two states the following : " Taps The traditional “ lights out ” musical composition played at military funerals and memorials . The official version of “ Taps ” is played by a single bugle . In accordance with AR 220 – 90 , “ Echo or Silver Taps , ” which is performed by two buglers , is not authorized . " Field Manual 12 - 50 , U . S . Army Bands , dated October 1999 , Appendix A , Official And Ceremonial Music , Appendix A , Section 1 – Ceremonial Music , Paragraph A - 35 " A - 35 . Signals that unauthorized lights are to be extinguished . This is the last call of the day . The call is also sounded at the completion of a military funeral ceremony . Taps is to be performed by a single bugler only . Performance of " Silver Taps " or " Echo Taps " is not consistent with Army traditions , and is an improper use of bugler assets . Scouting . Many Scouting and Guiding groups around the world sing the second verse of " Taps " ( " Day is Done . . . " ) at the close of a camp or campfire . Scouts in encampment may also have the unit ' s bugler sound taps once the rest of the unit has turned in , to signify that the day ' s activities have concluded and that silence is expected in the camp .