Old Ironsides Old Ironsides |
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Old IronsidesOld Ironsides
Old Ironsides
[Footnote 1: This was the popular name by which the frigate "Constitution" was
known.]
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon`s roar; -
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck once red with heroes` blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o`er the flood
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor`s tread,
Or know the conquered knee; -
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave:
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
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