Red Jacket: A Soldier's Song (Farnie, set by F. Campana) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Where have you been, Red Jacket?
Once foremost in the fray;
'Twas not your wont, Red Jacket,
To hide yourself away!
They cry for you, Red Jacket,
Old champion of the free;
"Oh! For one hour of England!"
Comes wailing o'er the sea.
Clove swift the tyrant's sword,
Swoop'd down his cruel horde,
Freedom, despairing, said,
"Red Jacket, art thou dead?"
No, no, no, no, no, no,
Foes would have liked it so!
Let them say what they will,
England is England still!
If Freedom calls we are not dumb!
Wants she Red Jackets? Red Jackets will come!
One though, Red Jacket, unmans thee, I know,
Not of thy danger, not of the foe!
But of a maiden whose sad tears will flow. . .
Bear up, Red Jacket! Kiss her and go!
Farewell to valley, to mountain and fen,
One sigh for home and the lov'd ones, and then. . .
Then on to fight, Red Jacket,
Since battle it must be,
And if alone, Red Jacket,
At least, alone, you're free!
You wear the red of England
For standard and for crest;
Who'll take the flag, Red Jacket,
That's borne upon your breast?
Clove swift the tyrant's sword,
Swoop'd down his cruel horde,
Freedom, despairing, said,
"Red Jacket, art thou dead?"
No, no, no, no, no, no,
Foes would have wished it so!
Let them say what they will,
England is England still!
If Freedom calls we are not dumb!
Wants she Red Jackets! Red Jackets will come!

Input by Bertram Kottmann

Authorship

Henry Brougham Farnie (1836-1889)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Fabio Campana (1819-1882)

Date added to the website: 2008-09-15.

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