Ship after ship, and every one with a high-resounding name,
From the robber-nest of Heligoland the German war-fleet came;
Not victory or death they sought, but a rendezvous of shame.
Sing out, sing out,
A joyful shout,
Ye lovers of the sea!
The “Kaiser” and the “Kaiserin,”
The “König” and the “Prinz,”
The potentates of piracy,
Are coming to surrender,
And the ocean shall be free.
They never dared the final fate of battle on the blue;
Their sea-wolves murdered merchantmen and mocked the drowning crew;
They stained the wave with martyr-blood—but we sent our transports through!
What flags are these that dumbly droop from the gaff o’ the mainmast tall?
The black of the Kaiser’s iron cross, the red of the Empire’s fall!
Come down, come down, ye pirate flags. Yea, strike your colors all.
The Union Jack and the Tricolor and the Starry Flag o’ the West
Shall guard the fruit of Freedom’s war and the victory confest,
The flags of the brave and just and free shall rule on the ocean’s breast.
Sing out, sing out,
A mighty shout,
Ye lovers of the sea!
The “Kaiser” and the “Kaiserin,”
The “König” and the “Prinz,”
The robber-lords of death and sin,
Have come to their surrender,
And the ocean shall be free!
November 20, 1918.