Select collection No. XXVIII/The bloody plains of Waterloo
The Bloody Plains of Waterloo.
Come all you valiant heroes bold,
I pray you lend an ear,
There was not such a battle fought,
No not this many a year.
All on the plains of Waterloo,
On the 18th day of June,
Against the proud sons of France,
We pull'd their emperor down.
CHORUS.
As on the plains of Waterloo,
It was a bloody fray,
And ages yet unborn shall read
The glories of that day.
'Twas on the 16th day of June,
The battle it began,
With courage bold each hero fought,
With valour every man.
And at the hour of twelve o'clock,
Began the bloody fight,
And the battle was not ended,
Till it dropt the veil of night.
'Twas on the 17th day of June,
About the hour of nine,
The British and the Prussians,
Their armies did combine.
The Duke of Wellington came up,
All with a warlike band;
Come, come my boys, we'll beat them down,
While we have power to stand.
When the Prussian cavalry came up,
They fought like lions bold,
Led on by General Blucher,
Of eighty-three years old.
Like lions bold undaunted then
We forced them to fly.
Come, come, cries General Blucher,
We'll conquer them or die.
But when the dreadful morn came in,
The 18th day of June,
And near the hour of twelve o'clock,
Ten thousand were cut down.
Then cried the Duke of Wellington,
Come on my warlike men,
This is the day they'll conquer us,
Or we will conquer them.
They closed full fast on either side,
No slackness could be found,
And many a thousand heroes bold,
Lay dead upon the ground.
Ready was Duke Wellington,
To lay the Frenchmen's pride,
The fields were stain'd with crimson blood,
Death rag'd on every side.
Great guns did roar like thunder,
The battle rag'd amain,
And in this gallant action,
Many thousands there were slain.
One hundred and twenty cannons,
From them we took away,
Six eagles fine we took from them,
All on that glorious day.
We hope this glorious action,
Will bring peace for evermore,
All nations shall united be,
Through every distant shore.
Success unto Duke Wellington,
Who gained this glorious day,
Likewise unto General Blucher,
That always fought his way.