"Heart of Oak" from Folkways liner notes.

Come cheer up, me lads,
Tis for glory we steer
To add something new
to this wonderful year.
To honor we call you,
not press you like slaves.
For who are so free
as the sons of the wave?

Chorus:
Heart of Oak are our ships,
jolly tars are our men.
We always are ready.....
steady, boys, steady.
We'll fight and
we'll conquer, again & again.

We ne'er see our foes
but we wish them to stay.
They never see us
but they wish us away.
If they run why we follow
and run them ashore.
But if they won't fight us,
we cannot do more.

Chorus:

They swear they'll invade us,
these terrible foes.
They frighten our women,
our chidren and beaux.
But should their flat bottoms
in darkness get O'er
still Britons they'll find
to receive them on shore.

Chorus:

We'll still make them fear
and we'll still make them flee.
We'll drub them on land
As we've drubbed them atn sea.
So cheer up, me lads
With one heart let us sing.
Our soldiers, our sailors,
Our statesmen our King.

"unofficial of the British navy through the eighteenth and into the nineteenth century."

Bob S.