Lyrics When the Foeman Bares His Steel - The Pirates Of Penzance

When the Foeman Bares His Steel

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