Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE KING'S OWN REGULARS & THEIR TRIUMPH OVER THE IRREGULARS, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE KING'S OWN REGULARS & THEIR TRIUMPH OVER THE IRREGULARS, by                    
First Line: "since you all will have singing, and won't be said nay"
Last Line: "for if they beat us in the fight, we beat them in the race"
Subject(s): American Revolution


SINCE you all will have singing, and won't be said nay,
I cannot refuse, when you so beg and pray;
So I'll sing you a song, -- as a body may say,
'T is of the King's Regulars, who ne'er ran away.
Oh! the old soldiers of the King, and the King's own Regulars.

At Prestonpans we met with some rebels one day,
We marshalled ourselves all in comely array;
Our hearts were all stout, and bid our legs stay,
But our feet were wrong-headed and took us away.

At Falkirk we resolved to be braver,
And recover some credit by better behavior:
We would n't acknowledge feet had done us a favor,
So feet swore they would stand, but -- legs ran however.

No troops perform better than we at reviews,
We march and we wheel, and whatever you choose,
George would see how we fight, and we never refuse,
There we all fight with courage -- you may see't in the news.

To Monongahela, with fifes and with drums,
We marched in fine order, with cannon and bombs;
That great expedition cost infinite sums,
But a few irregulars cut us all into crumbs.

It was not fair to shoot at us from behind trees,
If they had stood open, as they ought, before our great
guns, we should have beat them with ease,
They may fight with one another that way if they please,
But it is not regular to stand, and fight with such rascals as these.

At Fort George and Oswego, to our great reputation,
We show'd our vast skill in fortification;
The French fired three guns; -- of the fourth they had no occasion;
For we gave up those forts, not through fear, but mere persuasion.

To Ticonderoga we went in a passion,
Swearing to be revenged on the whole French nation;
But we soon turned tail, without hesitation,
Because they fought behind trees, which is not the regular fashion.

Lord Loudon, he was a regular general, they say;
With a great regular army he went on his way,
Against Louisburg, to make it his prey,
But returned -- without seeing it, -- for he did n't feel
bold that day.

Grown proud at reviews, great George had no rest,
Each grandsire, he had heard, a rebellion suppressed,
He wish'd a rebellion, looked round and saw none,
So resolved a rebellion to make -- of his own.

The Yankees he bravely pitched on, because he thought they
would n't fight,
And so he sent us over to take away their right;
But lest they should spoil our review clothes, he cried
braver and louder,
For God's sake, brother kings, don't sell the cowards any powder.

Our general with his council of war did advise
How at Lexington we might the Yankees surprise;
We march'd -- and re-marched -- all surprised -- at being beat;
And so our wise general's plan of surprise -- was complete.

For fifteen miles, they follow'd and pelted us, we scarce
had time to pull a trigger;
But did you ever know a retreat performed with more vigor?
For we did it in two hours, which saved us from perdition;
'T was not in going out, but in returning, consisted our EXPEDITION.

Says our general, "We were forced to take to our arms in our defence
(For arms read legs, and it will be both truth and sense),
Lord Percy (says he), I must say something of him in civility,
And that is -- 'I can never enough praise him for his great
-- agility.'"

Of their firing from behind fences he makes a great pother;
Every fence has two sides, they made use of one, and we
only forgot to use the other;
Then we turned our backs and ran away so fast; don't let
that disgrace us,
'T was only to make good what Sandwich said, that the
Yankees -- could not face us.

As they could not get before us, how could they look us in the face?
We took care they shouldn't, by scampering away apace.
That they had not much to brag of, is a very plain case;
For if they beat us in the fight, we beat them in the race.






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