Lyrics
Battle of Brooklyn
Oh, the Redcoats came and the battle roared
And the Maryland regiment trapped in a ford
Loaded each musket, drew each sword
Nearly three hundred men
Soldiers brave and true
In battle dress of ragged blue
Were murdered as the redcoats slew and slew
And Washington looking over the kill
From a safe place on a distant hill
Marveled at the soldiers’ rustic will
Saying “Good, God, what brave fellows this day I must lose”
Indeed. What news.
It’s written on a plaque on the crumbling wall
Of the local VFW hall
How the Maryland soldiers fell, nearly all
You can imagine the ancient drama
If you see the diorama
At the old stone house at the battle’s scene
Up beyond the green
A battle, one of many
Common as a rusted penny
You can read of in a history book
Curled up in a cozy nook
But the ghosts of the soldiers dead and gone
The souls of the ones who passed bloodily on
Some feel their presence on great swaths of lawn
As the stout lady sings and the brass band plays
As we gather on Memorial days
Have you noticed how a little one smiles and sways?
We’re charmed and delighted
We give her a round
As she dances to the bright band sound
Marching her little feet off the ground
It’s my fancy that a soldier, long lost
Buried deep beneath the frost
A soldier boy, both true and brave
Once or twice a year rises from his grave
And respectfully listens to the band
Occasionally offers his ghostly hand
To the one who dances alone on the lawn
And waltzes with her lovingly as we look on
Knowing full well, we and he
That one day we’ll all be
Dancing, after battles, ghostily
All words and music by Dave Hall ©
Publisher: Row House Music PRO: ASCAP
