Man the life boat! man the life boat! See the dreadful signal flies; Ha! she has struck, and from the rock Despairing shouts arise; And one there stands and wrings his hands, Amidst the tempest wild, For on the beach he can not reach, He sees his wife and child. Life-saving ark! yon doomed bark Immortal souls doth bear, Not gems, nor gold, nor wealth untold, But men, brave men, are there! Oh, speed the life boat, speed the life boat, O God! their efforts crown! She dashes on--the ship is gone Full forty fathoms down. Ah, see! the crew are struggling now, Amidst the billows roar, They’re in the boat, they’re all afloat, Hurrah! they’ve gain’d the shore, Bless the life boat, bless the life boat! Oh, thou’lt hear our prayer, Bless the life boat, bless the life boat! No longer we’ll despair. A Sailor’s Life for Me. 54 A home on the rolling deep-- A life on the boundless sea! Where the waters never sleep-- A sailor’s life for me! Some dwell upon the land, And say they love its hills, Its grassy vales, its woods and dales, And its gently murmuring rills. But give me the ocean’s roar-- The restless, rolling sea; I love not the listless shore-- A sailor’s life for me! My foot on a firm-set plank; Then let the wild wind shout-- I love to sweep o’er the foaming deep, When the tempest-king is out. Some love to list while ladies sing, Amid the festive crowd-- I love the music of the wind, As it whistles through the shroud. Some love to urge the courser’s speed, Swift as the wind to flee-- Hurrah! for a ride o’er the rushing tide! A race with the angry sea! Oh! this is the life for the brave; And this the place for the free-- A life on the ocean wave-- A grave in the dark blue sea! Hail Columbia. 55 Hail Columbia, happy land! hail, ye heroes, heaven-born band; Who fought and bled in Freedom’s cause, Who fought and bled in Freedom’s cause, And when the storm of war was gone, enjoyed the peace your valor won. Let independence be our boast, ever mindful what it cost; Ever grateful for the prize, let its altar reach the skies.