Chorus: You who stand at your doors, wiping hands on aprons, you who lean at the corner saying: "We have done our best", you who shrug your shoulders and you who smile to conceal your life's despair and its evil taste, to you we speak, you numberless Englishmen, to remind you of the greatness still among you created by these men who go from your towns to fight for peace, for liberty and for you. They were men who hated death and loved life, who were afraid, and fought against their fear. Men who wish'd to create and not to destroy, but knew the time must come to destroy the destroyer. For they have restored your power and pride, your life is yours, for which they died.
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Text 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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Funeral march", op. 14 no. 1, published 1939 [ chorus and orchestra ], from Ballad of Heroes, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-04-04
Line count: 19
Word count: 127