Classic Poem

Our hats are off, the brasses blare,
The emblem of the free
Comes dropping through the quiet air;
I hold you up to see.

'Tis only, to your wondering eyes,
One more thing strange and new,
But, Babbie, while that banner flies
This world is safe for you.

Our ships of war have sailed away,
Their paths we cannot know;
But where they ride they hold the tide
Against the sullen foe.

The Hun may overrun the land,
But freedom holds the seas;
The navies keep the upper-hand,
And Neptune wears the keys.

See, Babbie! now the flag is furled,
The band goes marching by.
God grant that in a cleaner world
Our colors soon may fly!