Prohibition

We are armed for the fight with that foe of the right,
The red wine-adder, whose terrible bite
     Sheds death from his quivering jaw;
But woe for our sons! Wherever he runs,
He is out of the range of our readiest guns
     By the shield of a pitiless law.
        Then vote prohibition,
        And shout prohibition,
        And live prohibition,
Till grog, the vile serpent, is sunk to perdition,
     And we’ll have a merry hurrah!
                                        Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!

His red eyeballs shine in the flash of the wine,
And his coils unroll their snakiest twine,
     When the glittering poison they draw;
Ha! put it from sight when it moves aright,
When most it glitters, then fly from its bite,
     Let loose by the pitiless law!
        Then vote prohibition,
        And shout prohibition,
        And live prohibition,
Till grog, the vile serpent, is sunk to perdition,
     And we’ll have a merry hurrah!