WAR LYRICS.
The oak and cedar bend and writhe
When roars the wind through the gap and braken;
But 'tis the tenderest reed of all
That trembles first when earth is shaken.
ON THE SHORES OF TENNESSEE.
Move my arm-chair, faithful Pompey,
In the sunshine bright and strong,
For this world is fading, Pompey,—
Massa won't be with you long;
And I fain would hear the south wind
Bring once more the sound to me,
Of the wavelets softly breaking
On the shores of Tennessee.
Mournful though the ripples murmur,
As they still the story tell,
How no vessels float the banner
That I've loved so long and well;
I shall listen to their music,
Dreaming that again I see
Stars and Stripes on sloop and shallop
Sailing up the Tennessee.
"And, Pompey, while old Massa's waiting
For Death's last dispatch to come,
If that exiled, starry banner
Should come proudly sailing home,
You should greet it, slave no longer;—
Voice and hand shall both be free
That shout and point to Union colors
On the waves of Tennessee."
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