When the Foeman Bares His Steel - The Pirates Of Penzance

SERGEANT, with POLICE.

When the foeman bares his steel,

We uncomfortable feel,

And we find the wisest thing,

Is to slap our chests and sing,

For when threatened with emeutes

And your heart is in your boots

There is nothing brings it round

Like the trumpet’s martial sound

Like the trumpet’s martial sound

Go, ye heroes, go to glory,

Though you die in combat gory,

Ye shall live in song and story.

Go to immortality!

Go to death, and go to slaughter;

Die, and every Cornish daughter

With her tears your grave shall water.

Go, ye heroes, go and die!

Go, ye heroes, go and die!

Though to us it’s evident,

These attentions are well meant,

Such expressions don’t appear,

Calculated men to cheer,

Who are going to meet their fate

In a highly nervous state.

Still to us it’s evident

These attentions are well meant.

Go and do your best endeavour,

And before all links we sever,

We will say farewell for ever.

Go to glory and the grave!

Go to glory and the grave!

For your foes are fierce and ruthless,

False, unmerciful, and truthless;

Young and tender, old and toothless,

All in vain their mercy crave.

We observe too great a stress,

On the risks that on us press,

And of reference a lack

To our chance of coming back.

Still, perhaps it would be wise

Not to carp or criticise,

For it’s very evident

These attentions are well meant.

Yes, it’s very evident

These attentions are well meant,

Evident, yes well meant, evident

Ah yes well meant

go to glory

Go to death and

go to slaughter

Die and every

Cornish daughter

With her tears

your grave shall water

Go ye heroes, go and die!

go to immortality!

go to immortality!

Tho' ye die in combat gory

Ye shall live in

Go to immortality!

SERGEANT, with POLICE.

When the foeman bares his steel,

We uncomfortable feel,

And we find the wisest thing,

Is to slap our chests and sing,

For when threatened with emeutes

And your heart is in your boots

There is nothing brings it round

Like the trumpet’s martial sound

Like the trumpet’s martial sound

These pirates slay!

Then do not stay!

Then why this delay

Yes but you don’t go!

Yes but you don’t go!

Yes, yes, we go!

All right, we go!

Yes forward

on the foe

Yes forward on the foe

Yes forward

on the foe

Yes forward on the foe

Yes, forward on the foe

Yes forward on the foe

At last they go!

At last they go, at last they go

At last they really really