GENERAL WOLFE

Oh, General Wolfe to his men did say,
"Come, come, my boys, come follow me
To yon blue mountain that stands so high
You lads of honor, you lads of honor
You lads of honor, come follow me"

Don't you see the French on yon moutains high
While we poor fellows in the valleys lie?
You'll see them falling from our guns
Like motes a-flying, like motes a-flying
A-falling from our great British guns.

The very first volley the French fired at us
They wounded our general on his left breast
Yonder he sat for he could not stand
"Fight on so bravely, fight on so bravely
For while there's life I shall give command."

"When to old England you do return,
You tell my friends that I'm dead and gone,
And tell my tender mother dear
To weep not for me, to weep not for me,
For I died a death that I wished to share.

"'Twas sixteen years when I first begun
All for the honor of George the King.
You commanders all, do as I've done before,
Be a soldier's friend, my boys, be a soldier's friend my boys
And then you'll fight for ever more."

source "Singin Our History" by Edith Fowke and Alan Mills (1984 Doubleday Canada)

rich r

Two others on Wolfe are on a broadside, c 1759-60, reproduced in facsimile in 'Music in Colonial Massachusettts', I, p. 238, 1980. The second of these, commencing "In a sad mould'ring cave", was by Thomas Paine. It was widely reprinted later with a variety of tunes. The other commences "Cheer up your hearts young men let nothing fright you".