Keep on the Firing Line

"Keep on the Firing Line" may be just the song you're looking for, if you want to combine devotional vigor with your time at the firing range.

This is one of those rousing songs in the Southern Gospel tradition. It was written by Howard Haney some time before 1927, and the only melody attribution I could find was "American melody".

Keep on the Firing Line (Midi) Right click on the link and then left click on "Open in new tab". My computer downloads a link to the file, so I have to go through the extra step of clicking where it says "Open" on the download menu. (I think it will become clear as you try it.)

Anyway, here are the words:

1. If you’re in the battle for the Lord and right,
   Keep on the firing line;
   If you win, my brother, surely you must fight,
   Keep on the firing line;
   There are many dangers that we all must face,
   If we die still fighting it is no disgrace;
   Cowards in the service will not find a place,
   So keep on the firing line.
   • Refrain:
     Oh, you must fight, be brave against all evil,
     Never run, nor even lag behind;
     If you would win for God and the right,
     Just keep on the firing line.
2. God will only use the soldier He can trust,
   Keep on the firing line;
   If you’ll wear a crown then bear the cross you must,
   Keep on the firing line.
   Life is but to labor for the Master dear,
   Help to banish evil and to spread good cheer;
   Great you’ll be rewarded for your service here,
   So keep on the firing line.
3. When we get to heaven, brother, we’ll be glad,
   Keep on the firing line;
   How we’ll praise the Savior for the call we had,
   Keep on the firing line;
   When we see the souls that we have helped to win,
   Leading them to Jesus, from the paths of sin,
   With a shout of welcome, we will all march in,
   So keep on the firing line.

The Son of God Goes Forth to War

After this morning's service, the pianist played the melody to "The Son of God Goes forth to War" as in the video below. It's a hymn for warriors set to a warriors' tune.

Yet, if country Gospel is more your style, you may want to view this video. My brother sent me the link.

The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood red banner streams afar:
Who follows in His train?
Who best can drink His cup of woe,
Triumphant over pain,
Who patient bears his cross below,
He follows in His train.

That martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave;
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on His tongue,
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong:
Who follows in his train?

A glorious band, the chosen few
On whom the Spirit came;
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
And mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
The lion’s gory mane;
They bowed their heads the death to feel:
Who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,
The matron and the maid,
Around the Savior’s throne rejoice,
In robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of Heav’n,
Through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be giv’n,
To follow in their train.

I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord

Here's an old favorite of mine. Below you will find more verses than most hymnals give.

Any sheepdog loyal to the King will keep on the lookout for His interests within the kingdom. The melody most often associated with this hymn is St. Thomas by Aaron Williams. (To hear it, CLICK HERE.)

Thanks to my wife for finding this.

I love Thy kingdom, Lord,T
The house of Thine abode,
The church our blessed Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood.

I love Thy church, O God.
Her walls before Thee stand,
Dear as the apple of Thine eye,
And written on Thy hand.

If e’er to bless Thy sons
My voice or hands deny,
These hands let useful skills forsake,
This voice in silence die.

Should I with scoffers join
Her altars to abuse?
No! Better far my tongue were dumb,
My hand its skill should lose.

For her my tears shall fall
For her my prayers ascend,
To her my cares and toils be given
Till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heavenly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.

Jesus, Thou Friend divine,
Our Savior and our King,
Thy hand from every snare and foe
Shall great deliverance bring.

Sure as Thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be given
The brightest glories earth can yield
And brighter bliss of Heaven.

A Charge to Keep I Have

A talk with a heartbroken brother today reminded me once again of a scourge that plagues the Church and our society at this juncture of history. Men charged with responsibility under God so often abandon the standard of Christ.

That thought brought me to this hymn by Charles Wesley, "A Charge to Keep I Have." (To hear Lowell Mason's melody for this song, CLICK HERE.)

According to Nethymnal, Wesley based his lyrics on a passage from Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus:

We have ev­ery one of us a charge to keep, an eter­nal God to glor­i­fy, an im­mor­tal soul to pro­vide for, need­ful du­ty to be done, our gen­er­a­tion to serve; and it must be our dai­ly care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will short­ly call us ac­count about it, and it is our ut­most per­il if we ne­glect it. Keep it “that ye die not”; it is death, eternal death, to be­tray the trust that we are charged with; by the con­sid­er­a­tion of this we must be kept in awe.


Christian Warrior, remember that to remain faithful to your calling and your Lord, you must be willing to side with him, even against yourself, if need be.

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill:
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will!

Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live;
And O Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.

Only Our Rivers Run Free

I think this song expresses the state of our nation today. As someone recently said, "The police state is not coming; it's already here."

It's true that things are not as bad as they could be or are going to be. But the machinery of oppression is in place, and the precedents have been set.

Thanks to Merrianna for pointing this song out to me. Words are below the video.

Only Our Rivers Run Free

Michael McConnell

When apples still grow in November 
When Blossoms still bloom from each tree 
When leaves are still green in December 
It's then that our land will be free 
I wander her hills and her valleys 
And still through my sorrow I see 
A land that has never known freedom 
And only her rivers run free 

I drink to the death of her manhood 
Those men who'd rather have died 
Than to live in the cold chains of bondage 
To bring back their rights were denied 
Oh where are you now when we need you 
What burns where the flame used to be 
Are ye gone like the snows of last winter 
And will only our rivers run free? 

How sweet is life but we're crying 
How mellow the wine but it's dry 
How fragrant the rose but it's dying 
How gentle the breeze but it sighs 
What good is in youth when it's aging 
What joy is in eyes that can't see 
When there's sorrow in sunshine and flowers 
And still only our rivers run free

These lyrics may or may not be copyrighted!

He is Risen, Indeed.

My wife Laura found the link to this song about our Lord's resurrection. You may recognize the tune, Waltham, as the one used for the Christmas carol, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." (Click here to hear the tune.)

Lift up, lift up your voices now!
The whole wide world rejoices now;
The Lord has triumphed gloriously,
The Lord shall reign victoriously.

In vain with stone the cave they barred;
In vain the watch kept ward and guard;
Majestic from the spoilèd tomb,
In pomp of triumph Christ is come.

And all He did, and all He bare,
He gives us as our own to share;
And hope, and joy and peace begin,
For Christ has won, and man shall win.

O Victor, aid us in the fight,
And lead through death to realms of light;
We safely pass where Thou hast trod;
In Thee we die to rise to God.

Thy flock, from sin and death set free,
Glad alleluias raise to Thee;
And ever with the heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Stand by Me

Here's a fine, clear rendition of this old favorite.

Sound the Battle Cry

This one is an old favorite of mine which I think is appropriate in light of yesterday's post.

You can hear Michael Owens' solid, male voice rendition of this (in MP3 format) by CLICKING HERE.

Sound the battle cry! See, the foe is nigh;
Raise the standard high for the Lord;
Gird your armor on, stand firm every one;
Rest your cause upon His holy Word.

Refrain

Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner,
Ready, steady, pass the word along;
Onward, forward, shout aloud Hosanna!
Christ is Captain of the mighty throng.

Strong to meet the foe, marching on we go,
While our cause we know, must prevail;
Shield and banner bright, gleaming in the light,
Battling for the right we ne’er can fail.

Refrain

O! Thou God of all, hear us when we call,
Help us one and all by Thy grace;
When the battle’s done, and the vict’ry’s won,
May we wear the crown before Thy face.

Refrain

Psalm 91

I have previously posted this Psalm on my WARSKYL blog. I believe it's important enough to repeat that post here.


Psalm 91 is a song that seems good to sing on the eve of battle. I can see and hear God's warriors singing this on the march that takes them toward the enemy's camp.

To me, the sonorous melody and insistent -- almost ponderous -- LM rhythm of Old 100th ("The Doxology") in combination with these words evokes a mental image of an advancing band of men not to be trifled with.

1 The man who once has found abode
Within the secret place of God,
Shall with Almighty God abide,
And in his shadow safely hide.

2 I of the Lord my God will say,
He is my refuge and my stay;
To him for safety I will flee;
My God, in him my trust shall be.

3 He shall with all protecting care
Preserve thee from the fowler's snare;
When fearful plagues around prevail,
No fatal stroke shall thee assail.

4 His outspread pinions shall thee hide;
Beneath his wings shalt thou confide;
His faithfulness shall ever be
A shield and buckler unto thee.

5 No nightly terrors shall alarm,
No deadly shaft by day shall harm,
Nor pestilence that walks by night,
Nor plagues that waste in noon-day light.

6 A thousand at thy side shall lie,
At thy right hand ten thousand die
But thou unharmed, secure, shalt see
What wicked men's reward shall be.

7 Because thy trust is God alone,
Thy dwelling-place the Highest One,
No evil shall upon thee come,
Nor plague approach thy guarded home.

8 O'er thee his angels he commands,
To bear thee safely in their hands;
To keep thee in thy ways each one,
Nor dash thy foot against a stone.

9 Thy foot shall crush the adder's head,
On lions and on dragons tread;
And since on me he set his love,
I Will his constant Savior prove.

10 Because to him my name is dear,
I'll him exalt above all fear.
To me he'll lift his earnest cry,
And I will answer from on high.

11 I will be near when troubles press;
I'll save him, and with honors bless;
With life he satisfied shall be,
And my salvation he shall see.

Walk Together Children

I think this is a neat old spiritual.

Jesus, Immortal King, Arise

The words of this hymn express the ultimate victory of Christ's kingdom here on earth and in history.The author is Aaron Seymour, and the poem first appeared in a book that he wrote bearing the fascinating title: Vi­tal Christ­i­an­i­ty Ex­hib­it­ed in a Ser­ies of Let­ters on the Most Im­port­ant Sub­jects of Re­li­gion, Ad­dressed to Young Per­sons. (1810)

You can hear the tune (Burlington, composed by John F. Burrows), by clicking THIS LINK. Thanks to my wife for sending me the link to this hymn.

Jesus, immortal King, arise!
Assume, assert Thy sway,
Till earth, subdued, its tribute brings,
And distant lands obey.

Ride forth, victorious Conqueror, ride,
Till all Thy foes submit,
And all the powers of hell resign
Their trophies at Thy feet.

Send forth Thy Word and let it fly
The spacious earth around,
Till every soul beneath the sun
Shall hear the joyful sound.

O may the dear Redeemer’s Name
Through every clime be known,
And heathen gods, like Dagon, fall,
And Jesus reign alone!

O hasten, Lord, the happy time,
That long expected day,
When every kingdom, every tribe,
Shall own Thy gentle sway.

When all the untutored tribes
Shall the Redeemer own,
And crowds of willing converts come
To worship at Thy throne.

From sea to sea, from shore to shore,
Be thou, O Christ, adored,
And earth with all her millions shout
Hosannas to the Lord!

Scots Wha Hae: Christian Warrior Inspiration

The Christian Warrior grounds himself in the Word of the Living God, particularly through singing the Psalms. Still, there are those extrabiblical songs and graphics that also help to bring me back to my roots, to who I am.

For me, Robert Burns' "Scots Wha Hae" is one of those songs.



Original Lyrics:

'Scots, wha hae wi Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome tae yer gory bed,
Or tae victorie.

'Now's the day, an now's the hour:
See the front o battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power -
Chains and Slaverie.

'Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha will fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn an flee.

'Wha, for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or Freeman fa,
Let him on wi me.

'By Oppression's woes and pains,
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free.

'Lay the proud usurpers low,
Tyrants fall in every foe,
Liberty's in every blow! -
Let us do or dee.

Truehearted, Wholehearted

"Truehearted, Wholehearted", a song of devotion to Christ, by Frances Ridley Havergal (1878) became known as the hymn of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). I've always thought of it as a hymn declaring martial loyalty to Christ.

Christian Martialists and shieldmaidens together can express their wholehearted loyalty to the Warrior King in the words of this song*. Those words find spirited support in the spirited tune composed by George C. Stebbins.

Truehearted, wholehearted, faithful and loyal,
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be;
Under the standard exalted and royal,
Strong in Thy strength we will battle for Thee.

Refrain:

Peal out the watchword! Silence it never!
Song of our spirits, rejoicing and free;
Peal out the watchword! Loyal forever!
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be.

Wholehearted! Savior belovèd and glorious,
Take Thy great power and reign Thou alone,
Over our wills and affections victorious—
Freely surrendered and wholly Thine own.

Refrain

Truehearted, wholehearted! Fullest allegiance
Yielding henceforth to our glorious King!
Valiant endeavor and loving obedience
Freely and joyously now would we bring.

Refrain

Truehearted! Savior, Thou knowest our story,
Weak are the hearts that we lay at Thy feet,
Sinful and treacherous! yet, for Thy glory,
Heal them, and cleanse them from sin and deceit.

Refrain

Half-hearted, false-hearted! Heed we the warning!
Only the whole can be perfectly true;
Bring the whole offering, all timid thought scorning,
Truehearted only if whole-hearted too.

Refrain

Half-hearted! Savior, shall aught be withholden,
Giving Thee part Who has given us all?
Blessings outpouring, and promises golden
Pledging, with never reserve or recall!

Refrain

Half-hearted? Master, shall any who know Thee
Grudge Thee their lives, who has laid down Thine own?
Nay! we would offer the hearts that we owe Thee,
Live for Thy love and Thy glory alone.

Refrain

Brothers and sisters, the call is resounding,
Will ye not echo the silver refrain,
Mighty and sweet, and in gladness abounding?–
“Truehearted, whole-hearted!” ringing again.

Refrain

Jesus is with us, His rest is before us,
Brightly His standard is waving above!
Sisters, dear sisters, in gathering chorus,
Peal out the watchword of courage and love!

Refrain

I have changed the words of the eighth stanza from "Sisters, dear sisters" to "Brothers and sisters" so that men & women can sing it together.

Now Thank We All Our God

We sing "Now Thank We All Our God" around Thanksgiving time, but few recognize that it arose out of wartime experience. The following hymn story came from nethymnal.org.

This hymn is sung to the tune Nun Danket. To hear it, CLICK HERE.

Martin Rinkart, a Lu­ther­an min­is­ter, was in Eil­en­burg, Sax­o­ny, dur­ing the Thir­ty Years’ War. The walled ci­ty of Eil­en­burg saw a stea­dy stream of re­fu­gees pour through its gates. The Swed­ish ar­my sur­round­ed the ci­ty, and fa­mine and plague were ramp­ant. Eight hund­red homes were de­stroyed, and the peo­ple be­gan to per­ish. There was a tre­men­dous strain on the pas­tors who had to con­duct do­zens of fun­er­als dai­ly. Fi­nal­ly, the pas­tors, too, suc­cumbed, and Rink­art was the on­ly one left—doing 50 fun­er­als a day. When the Swedes de­mand­ed a huge ran­som, Rink­art left the safe­ty of the walls to plead for mer­cy. The Swed­ish com­mand­er, im­pressed by his faith and cour­age, low­ered his de­mands. Soon af­ter­ward, the Thir­ty Years’ War end­ed, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand cel­e­bra­tion ser­vice. It is a test­a­ment to his faith that, af­ter such mis­e­ry, he was able to write a hymn of abid­ing trust and gra­ti­tude to­ward God.

---

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.


O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!


All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.


Thanks to my wife Laura for supplying this information.

Psalm 67

Psalm 67 makes an appropriate hymn at this Thanksgiving season. It invokes God's blessing upon His people, not just for their benefit, but that the people of all nations may see and acknowledge God. 

It recently occurred to me that I should include this Psalm in the introductory portion of any further books that I write. I would put it under the heading: A Petition for Blessing upon Author & Reader.

It was not easy to find a non-metrical setting for this Psalm that I considered free from the elements of pop culture on one hand, yet accessible to the majority. I think this simple, a capella rendition meets those conditions quite well.

May God bless us both as we read and listen to the inspired words of this song.

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song. 

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. (Psalm 67:1-7)

Distribute freely with these same fifteen words and link. NOT FOR SALE or alteration. www.youtube.com/pilgrimhymns

Psalm 1

Jesus, the Anointed King, will prevail in time and on earth. From Heaven, He will subdue the nations BEFORE His final coming.

I believe any other philosophy of history rests on tortuous -- and tortured -- exegesis.

Many ask how our Lord and King will bring this about. As I read Psalm 1 earlier this week, I saw clearly the mechanism by which Christ will continue to extend His rule: sanctions within the flow of history.

His blessing rests on covenant keepers. Their efforts will prosper. His judgment falls on covenant breakers. They will be blown away in the winds of judgment.

Oh, I know that bad things happen to good people, and that for a time the wicked may seize temporal wealth. But in the long run, over time, covenant keepers win and covenant breakers lose.

And the more a society conforms to verses 1 & 2, the more pronounced the sanctions will become. O that American Christians would put their personal & corporate efforts & resources into a Psalm 1 lifestyle instead of pouring time and money into a political choice of the lesser of evils.

Here is how I've oulined Psalm 1:

The Standard: Biblically Mandated Ethics and Worldview
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

The Positive Sanction: Blessing
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The Negative Sanction: Judgment
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

The Outcome: Victory in Time for Godly Culture (Way of the Righteous)
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:1-6)

The World Must Be Taken for the Lord

What a sad and sorry state of mind so many Christians have about Christ's Kingdom and this world. They see  His Kingdom's victory as something post-historical, and they see the present age as one of progressive defeat and decay.

Actually, this attitude common to both premillennialists and amillennialists (what one commentator calls pessimillennialism) is a relatively new phenomenon. Over centuries of Church history, we can cite many who saw history as the stage for the progressive victory of Christ and His kingdom.

My wife sent me this gospel song that serves as just one example of a victorious mindset. from the 1890's as it appeared in a Pentecostal songbook. You can hear the melody if you CLICK HERE.

The world must be taken for the Lord;
Onward, soldiers, and arm ye for the fight.
“In His Name” now watch and fight and pray,
Till all foes fear and tremble at the sight.

Refrain:

Ever onward, Christian soldier,
The world must be taken for the Lord,
Ever onward be your watchword,
The world must be taken for the Lord.

The world must be taken for the Lord;
And if faithful we know that we shall win.
Each day there’s a shout along the line
As we capture some citadel of sin.

Refrain

The world must be taken for the Lord;
Final vict’ry is nearer ev’ry day.
The past holds no record of a time
When so many as now the Lord obey.

Refrain

The world must be taken for the Lord;
Ev’ry nation and land shall yet be won.
His banner shall wave o’er all the world,
For our God with His army marches on.

Refrain

---

The King is Coming

Back when I was in college, I heard a prof criticize the song "The King is Coming" because the words don't fit any known eschatological scheme. While it's true that the song doesn't describe the Second Coming, as author Bill Gaither intended, it does describe what happens every Lord's Day when God gathers His people together in worship and communion.

At the invocation, God rends the normal bounds of our three-dimensional reality, Heaven and Earth interface, and we find ourselves upon the holy mountain in the presence of the angelic host and the King of kings and Lord of lords. The King has come to His people to receive their worship, to exhort them to the work of His kingdom and to bestow His blessing upon them.

Every Sabbath, as we approach His sanctuary, our hearts should resonate with the exciting truth that THE KING IS COMING.

Psalm 146

From a time long before Russelists (Watchtower-ites) tried to co-opt God's covenant name, Presbyterians have been singing praises to Jehovah. This version of Psalm 146 comes from the Psalter of 1912. (To the tune of Ripley)

What a wonderful hymn for Christian Martialists to sing for inspiration, encouragement and comfort.

Hallelujah, praise Jehovah,
O my soul, Jehovah praise;
I will sing the glorious praises
Of my God through all my days.
Put no confidence in princes,
Nor for help on man depend;
He shall die, to dust returning,
And his purposes shall end.

Happy is the man that chooses
Israel’s God to be his aid;
He is blest whose hope of blessing
On the Lord his God is stayed.
Heaven and earth the Lord created,
Seas and all that they contain;
He delivers from oppression,
Righteousness He will maintain.

Food He daily gives the hungry,
Sets the mourning prisoner free,
Raises those bowed down with anguish,
Makes the sightless eyes to see.
Well Jehovah loves the righteous,
And the stranger He befriends,
Helps the fatherless and the widow,
Judgment on the wicked sends.

Hallelujah, praise Jehovah,
O my soul, Jehovah praise;
I will sing the glorious praises
Of my God through all my days.
Over all God reigns forever,
Through all ages He is King;
Unto Him, thy God, O Zion,
Joyful hallelujahs sing.

If you'd like to do some more meditation on Psalm 146, see what your thoughtful reactions to these comments might be:

• DON'T PUT YOUR TRUST IN A POLITICAL SAVIOR - Voice of ... - Psalm 146:3, Brother Mike – But you knew that!! Phil September 30th, 2011 7:12 am : Psalm 146:3, Brother Mike – But you knew that! Ian Connor September 30th, 2011 7:54 am : Thank you Dr Brown for your consistent ...
• Psalm 146–notes | GetTheWord.org - Psalm 146:1. Let the Lord be praised. Give praise to the Lord, O my soul. Psalm 146:2. While I have breath I will give praise to the Lord: I will make melody to my God while I have my being.

Songs for Christian Warriors: The Blacksmith of Brandywine

In 1963 Pat Garvey wrote the song "The Blacksmith of Brandywine", based upon a legend of the Battle of Brandywine (9/11/1777). I trust Charlie Zahm's performance below will be an inspiration to you Christian warriors.

You'll find Garvey's original words below the video

Chorus
Make it one for Washington and all his gallant men
And one for the girl that once was mine.
Make it one for the darlin' boy I'll never see again
And don't forget the Blacksmith of Brandywine.

As we rode down to Brandywine
There was a sight to see
A giant man with a hammer in his hand
Lying dead 'neath a cherry tree
And all around him on the ground
In fatal disarray
A score of men who would never fight again
Nor travel on the King's Highway.

Then quietly we dug a grave
And gave him burial there
And passed the day a ridin' on our way
Till we met with a musketeer.
From him we learned the story of
A brave and angry man
Who undertook the British enemy
With a hammer in his hand.

Chorus

There lived a man in Chester town
Away from the cannon's roar
Of manner mild, he'd a woman and child
And he loved them twenty times o'er
Till a Tory spoke of a plot one day
To waylay Washington
He left his home and family alone
And to the General he did run.

When he returned the next morning
A horror struck his eyes
His family slain by Tory gun
And his house it burned the skies
The Blacksmith reached for his heavy sledge
And gave a practice swing.
Next day at the line on the field of Brandywine
You could hear his hammer ring:
Chorus

The first link below will take you to the story that inspired the song, and the second link will take you to a site where you can connect to more of Charlie Zahm's performances.

• The Blacksmith at the Battle of Brandywine « YesterYear Once More - THE BLACKSMITH AT THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. The hero of the following story was an humble blacksmith, but his stalwart frame, hardened with toil, throbbed with as generous an impulse of freedom as ever beat in ...

• Families Focus » Listen to Charlie Zahm Sing Independence Day ... - The Blacksmith of Brandywine from Vision Forum on Vimeo. Charlie Zahm sings “The Blacksmith of Brandywine” with Thad Marks playing the violin at the Reformation 500. Posted by Doug Phillips on July 4, 2011 | Permalink ...