The sun has beaten on my back
This load has bowed my head
But, even weary, in attack
These forces must be led

The bog is thick, the mountain high
My body weak and shaken
But even under blackest sky
This foe must still be taken

The road is long, the work is hard,
And praises are so few
My broken body may be scarred
But I must still be true

And to the bitter end I fight
For never will we yield
And I will die, by soldier’s right,
Upon a blood-soaked field

So even if our foe should find
A way to break us down
Until the end, we hold the line
And we will stand our ground

I cannot keep them from all harm
But I will not forsake them
And at the call, “Lay down your arms”
I’ll answer, “Come and take them!”

– s. Clark