Six favourite songs (1)/The Death of Nelson

THE DEATH OF NELSON.

O’er Nelson’s tomb, with silent grief oppress’d,
Britannia mourn’d her hero now at rest,
But those bright laurels ne’er shall fade with years,
Whose leaves are water’d by a nation’s tears.

’Twas in Trafalgar’s bay,
We saw the Frenchmen lay,
Each heart was bounding then;
We scorned the foreign yoke—
Our ships were British oak,
Hearts of oak our men.
Our Nelson mark’d them on the wave,
Three cheers our gallant seamen gave,
Nor thought of home or beauty;
Along the line this signal ran—
England expects that every man
This day will do his duty.

And now the cannons roar
Along the affrighted shore—
Our Nelson led the way;
His ship the Vict’ry nam’d,
Long be that Vict’ry fam’d,
For vict’ry crown’d the day.
But dearly was that conquest bought,
Too well the gallant hero fought
For England, home, and beauty;
He cried, as ’midst the fire he ran—
England expects that every man
This day will do his duty.

At last the fatal wound,
Which spread dismay around,
The hero’s breast received;
Heaven fights on our side,
The day’s our own, he cried,
Now long enough I’ve lived.
In honour’s cause my life was past,
In honour’s cause I fall at last,
For England, home, and beauty;
Thus ending life as he began,
England confess’d that every man
That day had done his duty.