Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more!
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Give the glory of the waves
To Old Iron Sides
Hail the guardian of the sea
Our old Iron Sides
Let her legacy live on
O, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every thread-bare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
Give the glory of the waves
To Old Iron Sides
Hail the guardian of the sea
Our old Iron Sides
Give the glory of the waves
To Old Iron Sides
Hail the guardian of the sea
Our old Iron Sides
Let her legacy live on
