by J. C. Cross ( flourished 1780 )
In early youth to fear a stranger
Language: English
In early youth to fear a stranger, Contemning indolence and ease, In Albion's cause I courted danger, And vent'rous plough'd the stormy seas; I dreaded not the cannon's thunder, Let bullets range their wonted scope, Or tempests split our bark asunder, The tar's sheet-anchor still is Hope. In hammock lull'd to sleep, or waking, The mid-watch come, or slung the bowl, Or signal-guns, distress bespeaking, Implore for aid, while tempests howl. Or when the battle's heat is raging, With force superior Britons cope, The mind to placid ease assuaging, The tar's sheet-anchor still is Hope.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with The Goldfinch, being a collection of the most esteemed modern songs in the English language, Vernor & Hood, J. Walker, Longman & Rees, B. Crosby & Co., 1803, page 226.
Text Authorship:
- by J. C. Cross ( flourished 1780 ), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by William Reeve (1757 - 1815), "The Tar's Sheet Anchor", 1796 [ bass and piano ], Reliquary of English Song, vol. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2020-06-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 95