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| DREARY lay the long road, dreary lay the town, | |
| Lights out and never a glint o’ moon: | |
| Weary lay the stragglers, half a thousand down, | |
| Sad sighed the weary big Dragoon. | |
| “Oh! if I’d a drum here to make them take the road again, | 5 |
| Oh! if I’d a fife to wheedle, Come, boys, come! | |
| You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again, | |
| Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum! | |
| |
| “Hey, but here’s a toy shop, here’s a drum for me, | |
| Penny whistles too to play the tune! | 10 |
| Half a thousand dead men soon shall hear and see | |
| We’re a band!” said the weary big Dragoon. | |
| “Rubadub! Rubadub! Wake and take the road again, | |
| Wheedle-deedle-deedle-dee, Come, boys, come! | |
| You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again, | 15 |
| Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum!” | |
| |
| Cheerly goes the dark road, cheerly goes the night, | |
| Cheerly goes the blood to keep the beat: | |
| Half a thousand dead men marching on to fight | |
| With a little penny drum to lift their feet. | 20 |
| Rubadub! Rubadub! Wake and take the road again, | |
| Wheedle-deedle-deedle-dee, Come, boys, come! | |
| You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again, | |
| Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum! | |
| |
| As long as there’s an Englishman to ask a tale of me, | 25 |
| As long as I can tell the tale aright, | |
| We’ll not forget the penny whistle’s wheedle-deedle-dee | |
| And the big Dragoon a-beating down the night, | |
| Rubadub! Rubadub! Wake and take the road again, | |
| Wheedle-deedle-deedle-dee, Come, boys, come! | 30 |
| You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again, | |
| Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum! | |
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