Saturday, October 22, 2005

Battle hymn of the Republic (new version)

Words Attributed to Mark Twain. (Chorus by Wombat Wol)

(clicking here should bring up a separate screen with the music. Click back to this page to read the words with music in background.. best that I could do with limited knowlege .. grins))

Mine eyes have seen the orgy of the launching of the Sword;
He is searching out the hoardings where the stranger's wealth is stored;
He hath loosed his fateful lightnings, and with woe and death has scored;
His lust is marching on.

(Gory, Gory, Fall-u-u-jah,
Gory, Gory, Bagh-da-a-dad,
Glory, Glory, Hallelujah,
And the tanks go rumbling on.)

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded him an altar in the Eastern dews and damps;
I have read his doomful mission by the dim and flaring lamps --
His night is marching on.

I have read his bandit gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my pretensions, so with you my wrath shall deal;
Let the faithless son of Freedom crush the patriot with his heel;
Lo, Greed is marching on!"

We have legalized the strumpet and are guarding her retreat;*
Greed is seeking out commercial souls before his judgement seat;
O, be swift, ye clods, to answer him! be jubilant my feet!
Our god is marching on!

In a sordid slime harmonious Greed was born in yonder ditch,
With a longing in his bosom -- and for others' goods an itch.
As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich --
Our god is marching on.

9 comments:

Linda Jones Malonson said...

Now D, this is good! LOL! You need to put music to this .. I would buy it!

Davoh said...

OK LP, have had a bit of a fiddle (or should I say 'flute') and added music. Sorry to make it so complicated, but don't know how to 'just make the music start' without shifting pages. Cheers.

GreenSmile said...

I have a MUCH longer and more boring way to say what Mr. Twain said...Which is why I admire his writing so much. [And this little gem isn't seen on paper too much]

GreenSmile said...

Hey,looky what I found on your sidebar! I owe you a link!

Davoh said...

mm, an interesting little thong, errr .. song .. heh heh.
I always enjoy what you write Greensmile, just thought that I'd share it around a bit. Cheers.

GreenSmile said...

http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/greyline.html shows the sun has just risen at Alice Springs...so it must be about time to say "G'day Wombat".

Enjoy my writing? Wonderful. I flattered That makes two of us then, shall we take over the world ;?)

Davoh said...

Take over the world?? We'd have to get rid of the Cheney/Bush/Howard mafia first.
(erk!, I think that sentence just qualified me as a candidate under the proposed new "shoot to kill" laws) mmm.

Davoh said...

Drat, now I'll have to keep a lookout for nasty, nervous men in plainclothes wearing concealed handguns next time I run for a bus.

Unknown said...

Just discovered you - because you visited me. Love the new BHOTR. Will blog on my site re this. Actually fits a bit of an anti-war post I've just done.