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By Various
Man the life boat! man the life boat!
See the dreadful signal flies;
Ha! she has struck, and from the rock
Despairing shouts arise;
And one there stands and wrings his hands,
Amidst the tempest wild,
For on the beach he can not reach,
By Various
Life-saving ark! yon doomed bark
Immortal souls doth bear,
Not gems, nor gold, nor wealth untold,
But men, brave men, are there!
Oh, speed the life boat, speed the life boat,
O God! their efforts crown!
She dashes on--the ship is gone
By Various
Ah, see! the crew are struggling now,
Amidst the billows roar,
They’re in the boat, they’re all afloat,
Hurrah! they’ve gain’d the shore,
Bless the life boat, bless the life boat!
Oh, thou’lt hear our prayer,
Bless the life boat, bless the life boat!
By Various
Behold the chief who now commands, again to serve his country
stands--
The rock on which the storm will beat,
The rock on which the storm will beat;
But armed in virtue firm and true, his hopes are fix’d on Heaven
and you.
When hope was sinking in dismay, and glooms obscured Columbia’s
day,
By Various
And that same hand that held my own
When I began to walk,
And the joy that sparkled in my eyes
When I began to talk;
I remember, too, when I was ill,
She kiss’d my burning brow;
And the tears that fell upon my cheek
By Various
’Tis the hour when happy faces
Smile around the taper’s light,
Who will fill our vacant places?
Who will sing our songs to-night?
Through the mists that float above us
Faintly sounds the vesper bell;
Like a voice from those who love us,
By Various
“Forget me not, forget me not,”
The words rung in his ear;
He ask’d the neighbors one by one,
Each answer’d with a tear,
They pointed to the old churchyard,
And there his youthful bride,
With the pretty child he loved so well,
Beneath, in the churchyard lay the dead,
In their night-encampment on the hill,
Wrapp'd in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamp'd the earth,
And turn'd and tighten'd his saddle-girth;
But mostly he watch'd with eager search
The belfry-tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Fear ye foes who kill for hire?
Will ye to your homes retire?
Look behind you!--they're afire!
And, before you, see
Who have done it! From the vale
On they come!--and will ye quail?
Leaden rain and iron hail
Let their welcome be!
Woe to the English soldiery
That little dread us near!
On them shall light at midnight
A strange and sudden fear;
When, waking to their tents on fire,
They grasp their arms in vain,
And they who stand to face us
Are beat to earth again;
And they who fly in terror deem
A mighty host behind,
And hear the tramp of thousands
Immortal patriots, rise once more!
Defend your rights, defend your shore;
Let no rude foe with impious hand,
Let no rude foe with impious hand
Invade the shrine where sacred lies
Of toil and blood the well-earned prize;
While offering peace, sincere and just,
In heav'n we place a manly trust,
That truth and justice may prevail,
And ev'ry scheme of bondage fail.--_Chorus._
To know we're resolved, let them think on the hour,
When Truxton, brave Truxton off Nevis's shore,
His ship mann'd for battle, the standard unfurl'd,
And at the _Insurgente_ defiance he hurled;
And his valiant tars cry,
While our standard shall fly,
Resolved, firm, and steady,
We always are ready
When Yankee meets the Briton,
Whose blood congenial flows,
By Heav'n created to be friends,
By fortune rendered foes;
Hard then must be the battle fray,
Ere well the fight is o'er;
Now they ride, side by side,
While the bell'wing thunders roar,
While her cannon's fire is flashing fast,
Hence be our floating bulwark
Those oaks our mountains yield;
'Tis mighty Heaven's plain decree--
Then take the wat'ry field!
To ocean's farthest barrier then
Your whit'ning sail shall pour;
Safe they'll ride o'er the tide,
While Columbia's thunders roar,
While her cannon's fire is flashing fast,
And her Yankee thunders roar.
Then next you sent your _Boxer_,
To box us all about,
But we had an _Enterprising_ brig
That beat your _Boxer_ out;
We boxed her up to Portland,
And moored her off the town,
To show the sons of liberty
Use every endeavor,
And strive to make a peace,
For Yankee ships are building fast,
Their navy to increase;
They will enforce their commerce,
The laws by heaven are made,
That Yankee ships in time of peace,
To any port may trade.
Thus 'neath their parent turf they rest,
Far from the gory field,
Borne to a Spartan mother's breast
On many a bloody shield;
The sunshine of their native sky
Smiles sadly on them here,
And kindred eyes and hearts watch by
Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead!
Dear as the blood ye gave,
No impious footstep here shall tread
The herbage of your grave;
Nor shall your story be forgot,
While Fame her record keeps,
Or Honor points the hallowed spot
Yon marble minstrel's voiceless stone
In deathless song shall tell
When many a vanished age hath flown,
The story how ye fell;
Nor wreck, nor change, nor winter's blight,
Nor Time's remorseless doom,
Shall dim one ray of glory's light
That gilds your deathless tomb.