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These verses were set to the tune of Yankee Doodle.
The song was written to honor the bravery of Colonel Benedict Arnold after the American attack on Quebec.
Arnold is as brave a man as ever dealt in horses, And now commands a num'rous clan of New England jackasses,
Yankee Doodle, keep it up, Yankee Doodle dandy, Mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy.
With sword and spear he vows and swears that Quebec shall be taken, But if he'd be advised by me, he'd fly to save his bacon.
But t'other day he did assay to do some execution, But he thought fit to run away for want of resolution.
The next come in was Colonel Green, a blacksmith by his trade, Sir, As great a black as e'er was seen, tho' he's a Colonel made, Sir.
The Congress, who're a noted set of very honest fellows, On Yankee business being met told Green to sell his bellows.
They gave him a commission straight and bid him not abuse it, Told him his rusty sword to whet and sent him here to use it.
'Tis thus, my friends, we are beset by all those damn'd invaders, No greater villains ever met than are those Yankee traitors.
Note: The midi file that is linked to this page was sequenced by Barry Taylor, and included in his website, Taylor's Traditional Tunebook. When Mr. Taylor could no longer maintain the website, Lesley Nelson-Burns offered to maintain the midi files created by Taylor on her own website, located at: http://www.contemplator.com/intro.html
