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William McCarty, comp. The American National Song Book. 1842.

Our Naval Heroes

By a Sailor

Tune—“Derry down”

THE FRIGATES of England, the Queen of the Seas,

When met by the Yankees were conquer’d with ease:

The reason is obvious, no press-gangs we know;

’Tis as freemen we fight, as such conquer our foe.

Fighting Bob (Bully Dacres) we first taught to fear,

Who commanded a frigate, yclept the Guerriere:

A sound Constitution quite baffled his skill;

And Hull stuck to his skirts till he gave him his fill.

Then Jones, in the Wasp, took a turn with the Frolic,

But his pills were so strong they gave Whinyates the cholic!

Down came George’s cross to America’s stars,

And a fresh wreath of laurel bedeck’d our bold tars.

The next was Decatur, in the United States,

Who in peace or in war will indulge tete-à-tetes;

The proud Macedonian, by him doom’d to fall,

He carved up, a fine dish, dress’d with powder and ball!

How the proud tars of Britain will storm and will roar,

When they hear of the Java off St. Salvador!

That Bainbridge attack’d her with brave resolution,

And convinced all the world we’d a fine Constitution!

Then Rodgers—but stop, he has done nothing yet,

But the fame gain’d by others his courage will whet;

And should he meet our foes wheresoever he’s sent,

He’ll hand them a message from the President!