II.
At Boston, one day,
As the Chesapeake lay,
The captain and crew thus began on:
"See that ship out at sea!
She our prize soon shall be,
'Tis the tight little frigate, the Shannon.
How I long to be drubbing the Shannon,
Oh! ’twill be a good joke
To take Commodore Broke,
And add to our navy the Shannon."
Then he made a great bluster,
Calling all hands to muster,
And said: "Now, boys, stand firm to your cannon
Let us get under way,
Without further delay,
And capture the insolent Shannon.
We shall soon bear down on the Shannon;
The Chesapeake's prize is the Shannon;
Within two hours’ space,
We’ll return to this place,
And bring into harbor the Shannon!"
Now alongside they range
And broadsides they exchange,
But the Yankees soon flinch from their cannon;
When captain and crew,
Without further to-do,
Are attacked sword in hand from the Shannon;
And the tight little tars of the Shannon
Fir’d a friendly salute,
Just to end the dispute,
And the Chesapeake struck to the Shannon.
