Duel of the Ironclads

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'Long Drag' Shanty in 6/8.

She was raised from the bones of a frigate
That the Union had burned to the ground
But when Johnny Reb rode in to claim her
All the parts below water were found

So they built from the hulk a new warship
With an iron casemate on her back
And with steam-fired engines and cannon
Thus was born CSS _Merrimack_.

Then the North knew they needed an answer
For the deadliest craft ever known
And it struck them the best way to do this
Was to forge a clad ship all their own

So they built a hull under the water
With a turret with all-around view
Sporting twin Dahlgren guns and steam engines
_Monitor_ made her deadly debut

CHORUS:
Oh the _Monitor_ and the_ Merrimack_
Did battle on the sea!
'Twas a duel of the ironclads
Of Union and Confed'racy
And this battle at the Hampton Roads
Was a spectacle to see!
Yes they fought to a stalemate
But the winners were you and me
(HEY! HO! HEY! HO!)


Oh, the Union blockaded Virginia
And refused to let other ships through
So the South sent their iron-clad thither
To teach Yankee a lesson or two

There the _Merrimack_ grounded the _Congress_
And she rammed the poor wood _Cumberland_
And she would have destroyed _Minnesota_
Had the _Monitor_ not made a stand

Then the iron-clads joined in close combat
Firing guns at a furious rate
But the shells and the balls of the cannon
Couldn't punch through the thick iron plate

Larger _Merrimack_ carried more weapons
Lither _Monitor_ made better way
Neither ship could disable its nemesis
Though the fusillade went on all day

CHORUS:
Oh the _Monitor_ and the_ Merrimack_
Did battle on the sea!
'Twas a duel of the ironclads
Of Union and Confed'racy
And this battle at the Hampton Roads
Was a spectacle to see!
Yes they fought to a stalemate
But the winners were you and me
(HEY! HO! HEY! HO!)

Key and tempo change for break!

(HEY! HO! HEY! HO!)

(Meanwhile, far below the waves
And buried in the benthic ooze
Did something cold and slimy stir
And rise from aeons-sleep, bemused
Befuddled by the distant din
Of bombard-blast and thick hulls-clash
Great Kraken swam from dark to light
To punish man-ships with its wrath!)

(HEY! HO! OH!! NO!!!!)

Return to original key!

Oh, imagine the shock of the rebels
And the Union navy as well
When the myriad Cthonian tentacles
Erupted from Chesapeake's swell

Kraken plucked luckless men from the decking
And tore crew from both ships limb from limb
Then it grappled the hull of the _Merrimack_
(Which it chose to crush first on a whim)

But it turns out the skin of an iron-clad
Bounces bullets, and suckers beside
And as _Merrimack_ battled the behemoth
_Monitor_ fired into its hide

Then both ships formed a hasty alliance
Kraken's lifeblood besmirch'ed the waves
_Merrimack_, _Monitor_, and a host of shells
Sent the beast to an undersea grave.

CHORUS:
Oh the _Monitor_ and the_ Merrimack_
Did battle on the sea!
'Twas a duel of the ironclads
Of Union and Confed'racy
And this battle at the Hampton Roads
Was a spectacle to see!
Yes they sent the beast down to Davy Jones
And the winners were you and me
(HEY! HO! HEY! HO!)

Spoken
We remember the duel of the iron-clads
And their iron crews as well!
Scoring one for the halves of America
Over naught for the forces of hell!

(HEEEEEEY… HEY HO!!)