GALLANTS, attend, and hear a friend | |
| Trill forth harmonious ditty; | |
| Strange things I ’ll tell, which late befell, | |
| In Philadelphia city. | |
| |
| ’T was early day, as poets say, | 5 |
| Just when the sun was rising, | |
| A soldier stood, on a log of wood, | |
| And saw a thing surprising. | |
| |
| As in amaze he stood to gaze, | |
| The truth can’t be denied, sir, | 10 |
| He spied a score of kegs or more | |
| Come floating down the tide, sir. | |
| |
| A sailor, too, in jerkin blue, | |
| This strange appearance viewing, | |
| First damned his eyes, in great surprise, | 15 |
| Then said, “Some mischief ’s brewing. | |
| |
| “These kegs, I ’m told, the rebels hold, | |
| Packed up like pickled herring, | |
| And they ’re come down, to attack the town, | |
| In this new way of ferrying.” | 20 |
| |
| The soldier flew, the sailor too, | |
| And, scared almost to death, sir, | |
| Wore out their shoes to spread the news, | |
| And ran till out of breath, sir. | |
| |
| Now up and down, throughout the town, | 25 |
| Most frantic scenes were acted; | |
| And some ran here, and others there, | |
| Like men almost distracted. | |
| |
| Some fire cried, which some denied, | |
| But said the earth had quakéd; | 30 |
| And girls and boys, with hideous noise, | |
| Ran through the streets half naked. * * * * * | |
| From sleep Sir William starts upright, | |
| Awaked by such a clatter; | |
| He rubs his eyes, and boldly cries, | 35 |
| “For God’s sake, what ’s the matter?” | |
| |
| At his bedside, he then espied, | |
| Sir Erskine at command, sir, | |
| Upon one foot he had one boot, | |
| And t’ other in his hand, sir. | 40 |
| |
| “Arise! arise,” Sir Erskine cries, | |
| “The rebels,—more ’s the pity,— | |
| Without a boat, are all afloat, | |
| And ranged before the city. | |
| |
| “The motley crew, in vessels new, | 45 |
| With Satan for their guide, sir, | |
| Packed up in bags or wooden kegs, | |
| Come driving down the tide, sir. | |
| |
| “Therefore prepare for bloody war; | |
| These kegs must all be routed, | 50 |
| Or surely we despised shall be, | |
| And British courage doubted.” | |
| |
| The royal band now ready stand, | |
| All ranged in dread array, sir, | |
| With stomachs stout, to see it out, | 55 |
| And make a bloody day, sir. | |
| |
| The cannons roar from shore to shore, | |
| The small arms make a rattle; | |
| Since wars began, I ’m sure no man | |
| Ere saw so strange a battle. | 60 |
| |
| The rebel dales, the rebel vales, | |
| With rebel trees surrounded, | |
| The distant woods, the hills and floods, | |
| With rebel echoes sounded. | |
| |
| The fish below swam to and fro, | 65 |
| Attacked from every quarter; | |
| Why sure, thought they, the devil ’s to pay, | |
| ’Mongst folks above the water. | |
| |
| The kegs, ’t is said, though strongly made | |
| Of rebel staves and hoops, sir, | 70 |
| Could not oppose their powerful foes, | |
| The conquering British troops, sir. | |
| |
| From morn till night, these men of might | |
| Displayed amazing courage; | |
| And when the sun was fairly down, | 75 |
| Retired to sup their porridge. | |
| |
| An hundred men, with each a pen, | |
| Or more, upon my word, sir, | |
| It is most true would be too few, | |
| Their valor to record, sir. | 80 |
| |
| Such feats did they perform that day, | |
| Against those wicked kegs, sir, | |
| That years to come, if they get home, | |
| They ’ll make their boasts and brags, sir. | |
| |
