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Home  »  The American National Song-Book  »  Samuel Brazer (1785–1823)

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

For the Fourth of July

Samuel Brazer (1785–1823)

Tune—“Heaving the Lead”

SAY, shall, in Freedom’s loved abode,

Her altars sink, her fires decay?

Shall Anarchy’s insatiate brood

Quench every spark, or dim each ray?

Ye freemen! hear your country’s call;

’Tis your own cause, and one and all

Will throng to aid!

In vain shall daring, desperate foes

Assail the laws which guard our rights;

In vain have Faction’s fiends arose!

In vain the faith which Treason plights;

That faith in desperation bred,

Shall doom to shame each guilty head

Which dares to aid!

Pledged to the cause, that patriot cause,

Which fix’d a world’s admiring eye,

That union just of rights and laws

In which ’twere glory’s height to die!

That cause for which a Warren died,

That cause, a Washington’s first pride,

Who fears to aid?

In dark Oblivion’s envious shade,

Say, shall our patriot’s glory rest?

No! gratitude’s heart-prompted aid

Shall sanction Duty’s high behest?

Still emulous to reach their fame,

Our proudest wish, our constant aim,

Their cause to aid!

Ye sainted shades of heroes dead!

Ye martyrs of Oppression’s power!

Ye, who in Freedom’s conflicts bled!

Like you to act, our wishes tower.

If e’er again invasion’s hordes

Shall summon forth our unsheathed swords:

Look down and aid!

And if fell Faction’s angry hand

Assail our charter or our laws,

And raise the suicidal hand,

In foul Rebellion’s impious cause;

Each hardy yeoman’s toil-strung nerve,

And heart, untaught by fear to swerve,

Will lend their aid!

Faction shall sink, and Truth shall soar;

Protected Freedom, fearless, smile;

Heedless of mad Sedition’s roar,

Each art we’ll spurn, each plot we’ll foil!

Our rulers just our rights protect;

Our yeomen brave those rights respect;

And Heaven will aid!