Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

William McCarty, comp. The American National Song Book. 1842.

Song: ‘Huzza! my boys, the ship Vincennes’

HUZZA! my boys, the ship Vincennes

Comes proudly o’er the wave;

Bold Captain Wilkes in her commands

Two hundred seamen brave.

With joyful hearts and hopes all bright,

These Yankee sailors come;

While glory’s full meridian light

Shines on their passage home.

“These are my sons,” bright Freedom cries,

“From the Antarctic sea;

And proudly from their mizzen flies

The stars of liberty.

These are the tars that dared explore

The new Antarctic world;

And nobly on its frozen shore

Columbia’s flag unfurl’d.

“The Fejee group they have survey’d,

With well instructed hearts;

And every island, reef, and bay

Lies pictured on their charts.”

She paused, and lo! from Freedom’s eye

There fell a crystal tear;

“Two sons I’ve lost,” the goddess cried,

“Two sons I held most dear.”

Nay, Freedom, quell each mournful sigh;

Those crystal drops restrain;

The sequel shall relight thine eye

With pleasure’s beams again.

We are the tars our chieftain led,

O’er dark Malolo’s plain;

Before us hosts of Indians fled,

And left a hundred slain.

We are the men that burn’d their towns,

Well fortified and new;

Destroy’d their cattle, fruits, canoes,

Because thy sons they slew.

On hands and knees the murderous host

Did crawl our chief to meet;

They own’d ’twas retribution just,

Begg’d pardon at his feet.

To Mouna Roa’s fiery top

These daring tars have scaled;

And there o’er all the scienced group,

Our chieftain has prevail’d.

Let England boast her Cook and Ross,

And other chiefs of fame;

They all must stand like mounds of dross

Beside our chieftain’s name.

On Fame’s broad pillow, hand in hand,

Shall stand in bold relief,

High o’er the rest of all the band,

Columbus and our chief.

Then speed thee on, our gallant ship,

And homeward bear thy tars;

While proudly glitters from thy peak

Columbia’s flag of stars.