O, the beat of the drums, And the sheen of the spears. And [red]1 banners that toss like the sea, Better far than the peace That is [fraught with deep]2 death To the wild rebel soul set in me ; Better pour out the blood in a swift crimson flood, As to music we march to the grave, Than to feel day by day the slow drops ebb away From the chain-bitten heart of a slave. O, to fight to the death, With a hope through the strife That the freedom we seek shall be ours, Better far than [despair And the coward's weak words Trembling]3 back from the front of the Powers. Better do, dare, and fail, than [shake]4 like a leaf pale In the breath of the wild autumn wind : Better death on the field with an honour-bright shield Than the soft bed that coward [souls]5 find. O, we leave hearth-stone warm For the rain-beaten [roads]6, And our arrows are hung at our [sides]7 : Freedom dearer to us Than the home that we leave, Or the [warm]8, clinging arms of the bride. For our children's fair eyes, like the blue of the skies, Foemen's gleaming with hate, chill as steel ; For the [Mother-love]9 touch that which smites over-much Till the life, stricken deep, earthward reels. We have waited so long We [can]10 wait now no more, [And we march forth,]11 our Freedom to meet ; Keeping [step]12 to a tune That is brave as our hearts. [Whilst]13 the stones clatter loud to our feet. Can we fail when we fight for the sake of the light From the hearths where our cradles have stood ? For the fathers long dead, for the races ahead That shall spring up like flowers from our blood ?
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada and the U.S., but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
View original text (without footnotes)1 Smyth: "the"
2 Smyth: "dungeon and"
3 Smyth: "despair,/ That with cowardly word/ Trembles"
4 Smyth: "shrink"
5 Smyth: "hearts"
6 Smyth: "roads"
7 Smyth: "side"
8 Smyth: "soft"
9 Smyth: "soft mother"
10 Smyth: "will"
11 Smyth: "But are marching"
12 Smyth: "time"
13 Smyth: "While"
Authorship:
- by Ethel Carnie Holdsworth (1886 - 1962), as Ethel Carnie, "A Marching Tune", appears in Songs of a Factory Girl, first published 1911 [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 Ethel Mary Smyth, Dame (1858 - 1944), "On the Road: a Marching Tune", 1913, published 1913 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and orchestra ], from Three songs, no. 3, Leipzig: Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-05
Line count: 40
Word count: 300