The DT lyrics at Joe's link is as he says but the text accompanying the stave there is 'they long did fight that bitter night' which is widely sung. I like 'long defied' as 'fight' and 'battle' are almost repetition.

Just to confirm, in 'Threescore and Ten' the DT lyrics are correct in the chorus as 'They long defied that bitter night'
I spoke to Harvey Blogg (who runs Riverside Folk, Bedale ).
Henry Blogg, cousin of Harvey's grandfather wrote the words as a poem at school about age 10 circa 1886. The chorus was his first verse and it became a song perhaps around 1900 when someone set it to a traditional tune.
Harvey tells me the words can be seen in Cromer Lifeboat Museum though their online factsheet does not mention the song.
Henry Blogg joined the lifeboat crew aged 18 and went on to be coxswain.