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

The True American

WHEN our enemies rise and defiance proclaim,

Undaunted to battle we fly;

Forget the soft ties that enervate the frame,

And fight till we conquer or die:

Our sweethearts we leave, nay our children and wives,

And brave all the danger of wars.

We fight that the rest may live peaceable lives,

And stand till the last in their cause.

In the heat of the battle, when loud cannons roar,

And the wounded our vengeance excite,

We muster our men, more enraged than before,

And with double the fury we fight.

When the tumult is o’er, and th’ unfortunate slain

Are decently laid in the ground,

To our friends and our homes we return once again,

With honour and victory crown’d.