Down among the dead men
Language: English
Here's a health to the King and a lasting peace, To faction an end, to wealth increase; Come, let us drink it while we have breath, For there's no drinking after death; And he who will this health deny, Down among the dead men let him lie. Let charming beauty's health go round, In whom celestial joys are found, And may confusion still pursue The senseless woman-hating crew; And they that woman's health deny, Down among the dead men let him lie. In smiling Bacchus' joys I'll roll, Deny no pleasure to my soul; Let Bacchus' health round briskly move, For Bacchus is a friend to love; And he that will this health deny, Down among the dead men let him lie. May love and wine their rites maintain, And their united pleasures reign, While Bacchus' treasure crowns the board, We'll sing the joys that both afford, And he that won't with us comply, Down among the dead men let him lie.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "Down among the dead men", 1912. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 162