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Home  »  The American National Song-Book  »  William C. Foster

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

New Song: ‘Brave sons of Columbia, your triumph behold!’

William C. Foster

Sung at the Celebration of the 4th of July, at Saratoga and Waterford, N. Y.—1802

Tune—“Anacreon in Heaven”

BRAVE sons of Columbia, your triumph behold!

The purchase of blood for the welfare of ages:

On the archives of Fame, in rich letters of gold,

Are inscribed the exploits of your heroes and sages.

Who seal’d the decree,

That Columbia should be

One, independent, united, and free,

Who raised this republic, which long shall endure,

And stand, like the pillars of heaven, secure.

Too long had mankind borne the yoke and the chain,

And bow’d to the mandates of monarch’al power,

When Columbia arose to establish the reign

Of Freedom and Justice on her native shore.

Hail! auspicious day!

Which gave her the sway,

And bade Independence her standard display.
Long shall this republic, unshaken, endure, &c.

Let viols of joy and shrill clarions sound,

Our cannons’ loud thunder be heard through the nation:

Let harmony, friendship, and union abound;

All freemen unite in this day’s celebration.

From Georgia to Maine

Shall be heard the loud strain,

Each heart beat with rapture, joy smile on each plain:
Hail! happy republic! long shalt thou endure, &c.

A flame from our altars is spreading abroad,

Whose rays light the world, and the nations admire!

The slave on whose head the proud despot has trod,

In his breast feels enkindling the patriot fire:

O’er the Alps it ascends,

To all regions extends,

And where it enkindles, mankind become friends.
Hail! happy republic! long shalt thou endure, &c.

The olive of peace with the laurel entwine,

The temple of Freedom this day to adorn;

On whose walls shall the names of her heroes e’er shine,

Whilst tyrants and traitors are banish’d with scorn.

Her eagle shall rise

Like a cloud to the skies,

And guard with her talons the glorious prize:
That this fair republic with time may endure, &c.

To the manes of our heroes in battle who fell,

We’ll chant songs of praise at this day’s celebration:

Of Warren, Montgomery, and Mercer we’ll tell,

Who bled for the freedom and rights of our nation.

Great Washington’s name

To the world we’ll proclaim,

And sing Adams’, Hancock’s, and Jefferson’s fame;
Who raised this republic, which long shall endure, &c.

As ages on ages are rolling away,

The boon we’ll transmit to our worthy descendants;

Who, faithful to freedom, shall hail the great day,

When their ancestors gave to their realm independence.

May the God we adore,

With his arm shield our shore,

Till earth sinks in chaos, and time is no more.
And this fair republic unshaken endure, &c.