Lyrics by Thomas Carter, 1780
Music by Paul Gray
Stand to your guns my hearts of oak
Let not a word on board be spoke
Victory soon will crown the joke
Be silent and be ready
Be silent and be ready
Be silent and be ready
Be silent and be ready
Ram home your guns and sponge them well
Let us be sure the balls will tell
The cannons roar shall sound their knell
Ram home your guns and sponge them well
Let us be sure the balls will tell
The cannons roar shall sound their knell
Be steady boys be steady
Be steady boys be steady
Be steady boys be steady
Be steady boys be steady boys
Not yet nor yet nor yet
I do desire, reserve your fire
Not yet nor yet nor yet
I do desire, reserve your fire
Not yet nor yet nor yet
Fire!
Now the elements do rattle,
The Gods amaz’d behold the Battle
Now the elements do rattle,
The Gods amaz’d behold the Battle
The Battle, the Battle, the Battle
The Battle, the Battle me boys the battle
The Battle, the Battle, the Battle
The Battle, the Battle me boys the battle
A broadside my boys
Ha!
A broadside my boys
See the blood in purple tide
Trickle down her batter’d sides
See the blood in purple tide
trickle down her batter’d sides
Winged with fate, the bullets fly
Conquer, boys, or bravely die
Or bravely die, or bravely die, or bravely die, or bravely die!
Hunt destruction on your foes
Hunt destruction on your foes
She sinks, she sinks
She sinks, Huzzah! She sinks.
She sinks, she sinks
She sinks, Huzzah! She sinks.
To the bottom, to the bottom
To the bottom down she goes
To the bottom, to the bottom
To the bottom down below
