Thy prestige shall check insurrection,
Whoever shall lift up the hand;
Thy name shall give ample protection,
The length and the' breadth of the land.
The bonds that enslave shall be broken,
Wherever thy folds are in view,
Proud flag! thou art Liberty’s token—
Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!
Thy fame shall grow bright with the ages,
While cycles of years roll along,
To cheer when humanity wages
Its conflicts with manifold wrong.
Our children shall cherish thy story,
Their children thy praises renew.
Till nations unborn share thy glory—
Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!
If e’er to the ordeal of battle,
Pair Freedom shall issue her call,
’Mid cannon and musketry’s rattle,
No star from thy azure shall fall.
Shall freemen desert thee? No never!
We pledge here our fealty anew,
The star-spangled Banner forever—
Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!
LONG WAVE OUR FLAG.
BY COMRADE E. W. FOSTER. WRITTEN FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF BOSTON.
[Air: “Old Folks at Home.”]
Come, let us join in glad hosanna,
Earnest and clear;
Greeting with songs our lovely banner.
Pride of our country dear.
Praise to the brave who, nobly daring
On land and sea,
Gave their heroic lives in sharing
All for the flag of the free.
Chorus:—See aloft its colors gleaming,
Bright as morning dew!
Far up the heights of glory streaming—
Long wave the Red, White, and Blue!
Hail we the sign and sacred token
Our fathers gave
That faith in freedom is not broken
Long as the flag shall wave.
Then guard with life their trust confiding;
Hold it secure!
Never our love for it be hiding,—
Only the brave shall endure!
If hate or envy come designing
Our flag to mar,—
With loyal hearts and arms combining,
They shall not hurt one star!
Thus, while we heed with true devotion
Our flag's command.
So will it wave from peak to ocean,
Proud of its own native land.
