When The Foeman Bares His Steel Lyrics

(Enter POLICE, marching in single file. They form in
line, facing audience.)

SOLOS AND CHORUS: When the foeman bares his steel

SERGEANT: When the foeman bares his steel,

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara!

SERGEANT: We uncomfortable feel,

POLICE: Tarantara!

SERGEANT: And we find the wisest thing,

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara!

SERGEANT: Is to slap our chests and sing,

POLICE: Tarantara!

SERGEANT: For when threatened with émeutes,

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara!

SERGEANT: And your heart is in your boots,

POLICE: Tarantara!

SERGEANT: There is nothing brings it round
Like the trumpet's martial sound,
Like the trumpet's martial sound

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara!, etc.

MABEL: 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!

GIRLS: Go, ye heroes, go and die! Go, ye heroes, go and
die!

SERGEANT: Though to us it's evident,

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara!

SERGEANT: These attentions are well meant,

POLICE: Tarantara!

SERGEANT: Such expressions don't appear,

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara!

SERGEANT: Calculated men to cheer

POLICE: Tarantara!

SERGEANT: Who are going to meet their fate
In a highly nervous state.

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara! tarantara!

SERGEANT: Still to us it's evident These attentions are well meant.

POLICE: Tarantara! tarantara! tarantara!

EDITH: Go and do your best endeavour,
And before all links we sever,
We will say farewell for-ever.
Go to glory and the grave!

GIRLS: Go to glory and the grave!
For your foes are fierce and ruthless,
False, unnierciful, and truthless;
Young and tender, old and toothless,
All in vain their mercy crave.

SERGEANT: 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.

POLICE: Yes, it's very evident
These attentions are well meant,
Evident, yes, well meant, evident
Ah, yes, well meant!

POLICE:
When the foeman bares his steel, etc.

GIRLS:
Go, ye heroes, go to glory! etc.

GENERAL: Away, away!

POLICE: (without moving) Yes, yes, we go.

GENERAL: These pirates slay.

POLICE: Tarantara!

GENERAL: Then do not stay.

POLICE: Tarantara!

GENERAL: Then why this delay?

POLICE: All right, we go.

ALL: Yes, forward on the foe!
Yes, forward on the foe!

GENERAL: Yes, but you don't go!

POLICE: We go, we go

ALL: Yes, forward on the foe!
Yes, forward on the foe!

GENERAL: Yes, but you don't go!

POLICE: We go, we go

ALL: At last they go!
At last they really go!

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