Caroline Lavelle - Banks Of The Nile lyrics

Oh hark, the drums do beat my love I can no longer stay The bugle horns are sounding clear And I must march away We are ordered down to portsmouth And it's many's the weary mile To join the british army, along the banks of the nile Oh willie, dearest willie Don't leave me here to mourn Don't make me curse and rue the day That ever I was born For the parting of our love Would be like parting with my life So stay at home my dearest love And I will be your wife Oh nancy, darling nancy Sure that would never do The government has ordered And we are bound to go The government has ordered And the queen she gives command And I am bound on oath, my love To serve in a foreign land Oh, then I'll cut off my long hair And I'll go along with you I'll dress myself in uniform & I'll see egypt too I'll march beneath your banner While fortune she do smile And we'll comfort one another Along the banks of the nile But your waist it is too slender Your fingers they're too small The cruel sun of egypt your rosy cheeks would spoil Well the cannons they do rattle And the bullets they do fly And the silver trumpets sound so loud To hide the dismal cries Oh, then cursed be those cruel wars Since ever they began For they have robbed our country of many's the handsome man They have robbed us of our sweethearts While their bodies they feed the lions On the dry & sandy deserts Which are the banks of the nile