Greetings And Felicitations: Rogues Gallery Album 3

THE BEER-DRINKING BRITONS

Ye true, honest Britons, who love your own land, Who's sires were so brave, so victorious, so free,

Who always beat France when they took her in hand, Come join, honest Britons, in chorus with me.

Join in chorus, join in chorus with me come join, honest Britons, in chorus with me,

Let us sing our own treasures, old England's good cheer.

The profits and pleasures of stout British beer.

Your wine-tippling, dram-sipping fellows retreat,

But your beer-drinking Britons can never be beat.

The French, with their vineyards, are meagre and pale, The drink of the squeezing of half-ripened fruit;

But we, who have hop-grounds to mellow our ale. Are rosy and plump and have freedom to boot.

Should the French dare invade us, thus armed with our poles, We'll bang their bare ribs, make their lanthorn jaws ring,

For your beef-eating Britons are valiant souls who will shed their last drop for their country and king.

Tom Bowling

Here a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling the darling of our crew;

No more he'll hear the tempest howling for death has broached him to.

His form was of the manliest beauty, his heart was kind and soft;

Faithful below, Tom did his duty and now he's gone aloft and now he's gone aloft

Tom never from his word departed his virtues were so rare:

His friends were many and true hearted his Poll was kind and fair;

And then he'd sing so blithe and jolly many is the time and oft;

But mirth is turned to melancholy for Tom is gone aloft for Tom is gone aloft

Yet shall poor Tom find pleasant weather when He who all commands

Shall give, to call life's crew together the word to pipe all hands:

Thus Death, who kings and tars despatches in vain Tom's life have doffed

For though his body's under hatches his soul is gone aloft his soul is gone aloft

Yellow Rose Of Texas

There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see

Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me

She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart

And if I ever find her we never more will part

She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew

Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew

You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee

But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

Where the Rio Grand is flowing and starry skies are bright

She walks along the river in the quiet summer night

I know that she remembers when we parted long ago

I promised to return and not to leave her so

Now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe

We'll do the things together we did so long ago

We'll play the banjo gaily, she'll love me like before

And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forever more

She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew

Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew

You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee

But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

For The Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.

There is music in the midst of desolation and a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted they fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again they sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time they sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known as the stars are known to the night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness to the end, to the end, they remain.

The Mask Of Anarchy

Stand ye calm and resolute like a forest close and mute,

With folded arms and looks which are weapons of unvanquished war.

And if then the tyrants dare let them ride among you there;

Slash, and stab, and maim and hew what they like, that let them do.

With folded arms and steady eyes and little fear, and less surprise,

Look upon them as they slay until their rage has died away:

Then they will return with shame to the place from which they came,

And the blood thus shed will speak in hot blushes on their cheek:

Rise, like lions after slumber in unvanquishable number shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you ye are many they are few

Men of England, heirs of Glory heroes of unwritten story,

Nurslings of one mighty Mother hopes of her, and one another!

What is Freedom ye can tell that which slavery is too well,

For its very name has grown to an echo of your own

Let a vast assembly be and with great solemnity

Declare with measured words, that ye are as God has made ye free.

The old laws of England they whose reverend heads with age are grey,

Children of a wiser day and whose solemn voice must be thine own echo liberty

Rise, like lions after slumber in unvanquishable number shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you ye are many they are few

Stand ye calm and resolute like a forest close and mute,

With folded arms and looks which are weapons of unvanquished war.

And if then the tyrants dare let them ride among you there;

Slash, and stab, and maim and hew what they like, that let them do.

With folded arms and steady eyes and little fear, and less surprise,

Look upon them as they slay until their rage has died away:

Then they will return with shame to the place from which they came,

And the blood thus shed will speak in hot blushes on their cheek:

Rise, like lions after slumber in unvanquishable number shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you ye are many they are few

Down In New Orleans

Well come on everybody take a trip with me

Well down the Mississippi down to New Orleans

They got the honeysuckle blooming on the honeysuckle vine

And love is blooming there all the time

You know every Southern Belle is a Mississippi Queen

Down the Mississippi down in New Orleans

Well come on take a stroll down to Basin Street

Listen to the music with the Dixieland beat

Where the magnolia blossoms fill the air

And if you ain't been to heaven then you ain't been there

They got the French moss hanging from a big oak tree

Down the Mississippi down in New Orleans

Well come on everybody take a trip with me

Well down the Mississippi down to New Orleans

They got the honeysuckle blooming on the honeysuckle vine

And love is blooming there all the time

You know every Southern Belle is a Mississippi Queen

Down the Mississippi down in New Orleans

A Man Is A Man For All That

Is there for honest poverty that hangs his head and all that?

The coward slave, we pass him by he dare be poor for all that!

For all that and all that our toils obscure and all that.

The rank is but the guinea's stamp The Man's the gold for all that.

What though on homely fare we dine wear hoyden grey, and all that.

Give fools their silks and knaves their wine a Man's a Man for all that,

For all that and all that their tinsel show and all that.

The honest man, though e'er so poor is king of men for all that.

You see yon birkie, called a lord who struts, and stares and all that.

Though hundreds worship at his word he's but a coif for all that.

For all that and all that his riband, star, and all that.

The man of independent mind he looks and laughs at all that.

A prince can make a belted knight a marquis, duke, and all that,

But an honest man's above his might good faith, he mustn't fault that!

For all that and all that their dignities and all that.

The pith of sense and pride of worth are higher rank than all that.

Then let us pray that, come it may as come it will for all that

That Sense and Worth o'er all the earth shall bear the greet and all that.

For all that and all that it's coming yet for all that,

That Man to Man the world o'er shall brothers be for all that.

The Saucy Arethusa

Come all ye jolly sailors bold whose hearts are cast in honour's mould

While English glory I unfold hurrah for the Arethusa

She is a frigate tight and brave as ever stemmed the dashing wave

Her men are staunch to their favourite launch and when the foe shall meet our fire

Sooner than strike we'll all expire on board of the Arethusa

It was with the spring fleet she went out The English Channel to cruise about

When four French sail in show so stout bore down on the Arethusa

The famed Belle Poole straight a head did lie the Arethusa seemed to fly not a sheet or a tack or a brace did she slack

Though the Frenchmen laughed and thought it stuff

But they knew not the handful of men how tough on board of the Arethusa.

On deck five hundred men did dance the stoutest they could find in France

We with two hundred did advance on board of the Arethusa.

Our captain hailed the Frenchman Ho the Frenchmen then cried out Hallo

Bear down did you see to our Admiral's lee no says the Frenchman that can't be

Then I must lug you along with me says the saucy Arethusa.

The fight was off the Frenchman's land we forced them back upon their strand

For we fought till not a stick would stand of the gallant Arethusa

And now we've driven the foe ashore never to fight with Britons more

Let each fill a glass to his favourite lass a health to the captain and officers true

And all that belong to the jovial crew on board of the Arethusa

The Rare Old Mountain Dew

Let grasses grow and waters flow in a free and easy way,

But give me enough of the fine old stuff that is made near Galway Bay,

And policemen all from Donegal,Sligo and Leitrim too,

We will give them the slip and we will take a sip of the rare old Mountain Dew

At the foot of the hill there is a neat little still where the smoke curls up to the sky,

By the smoke and the smell you can plainly tell that there is a potent brewing nearby.

For it fills the air with an aura rare and betwixt both me and you,

As home you troll, you can take a bowl or a bucket of the Mountain Dew

Now learned men who use the pen have wrote your praises high

Of the rare potent from Ireland green distilled from wheat and rye.

Throw away your pills it will cure all ills of Pagan, Christian or Jew,

So take off your coat and grease your throat with the rare old Mountain Dew

Let grasses grow and waters flow in a free and easy way,

But give me enough of the fine old stuff that is made near Galway Bay,

And policemen all from Donegal,Sligo and Leitrim too,

We will give them the slip and we will take a sip of the rare old Mountain Dew

English Roast Beef

When mighty Roast Beef was the Englishman's food,

It ennobled our brains and enriched our blood.

Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good