A Book of American Literature

THE PENNSYLVANIA SONG
We are the troop that ne'er will stoop
To wretched slavery,
Nor shall our seed, by our base deed
Despised vassels be;

Freedom we will bequeath to them, 5
Or we will bravely die;

Our greatest foe ere long shall know
How much did Sandwich lie.

And all the world shall know,
Americans are free;

The 'lasses they eat every day

Would keep a house a winter;
They have as much that, I'll be bound,
They eat it when they're a mind to. 16

And there we see a swamping gun,
Big as a log of maple,

Nor slaves nor cowards we will Upon a deuced little cart,

A load for father's cattle.

And every time they shoot it off
It takes a horn of powder,
And makes a noise like father's gun,
Only a nation louder.

I went as nigh to one myself
As Siah's underpinning,

By land thy conquering armies,
Thy matchless strength at sea;
Since taught by numerous instances
Americans can fight,

With valor can equip their stand,
Your armies put to flight.

Now farewell to fair America,
Farewell our friends and wives;
We trust in Heaven's peculiar care
For to protect their lives,
To prosper our intended cruise
Upon the raging main,

The faith of a martyr the tragedy And to preserve our dearest friends shew'd,

Till we return again.

The wind it being leading,

It bore us on our way, As far unto the southward As the Gulf of Florida; Where we fell in with a British ship, Bound homeward from the main. We gave her two bow-chasers, And she returned the same.

We hauled up our courses,

And so prepared for fight; The contest held four glasses, Until the dusk of night;