The Hero That I Sing

Let oth­ers sing of bat­tles fought

And won on bloody fields

Where hon­or meets the man who wins

And death the man who yields;

But I will sing of him who fights

And van­quish­es his sins;

Who strug­gles on through wea­ry years

Against him­self

and wins.

It calls for some­thing more than brawn

Or mus­cle

to o’er­come

An enemy who march­eth not

With ban­ner

plume

and drum―

A foe for­ev­er lurk­ing nigh

With si­lent

steal­thy tread

His pre­sence with you day by day

At night

be­side your bed.

All hon­or

then

to that brave heart

Tho’ poor or rich he be

Who strug­gles with his bas­er part

Who con­quers

and is free!

He may not wear a he­ro’s crown

Nor fill a he­ro’s grave

But truth will place his name among

The brav­est of the brave.