King Henry The Fifth
Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner Lyrics
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Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Let it pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height! On, on, you noblest English!
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof;
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument.
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeomen,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry! England and Saint George!"
The lyrics to Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner's song "King Henry The Fifth" are an excerpt from William Shakespeare's play Henry V. The song imagines the famous speech given by King Henry to his troops before they go to battle. The speech urges the soldiers to confront the fearful situations ahead of them with courage, unity, and honor.
Henry reminds his men that in peacetime, humility and modesty are virtues to be upheld, but in times of war, they must channel their inner tiger and unleash the ferociousness required to win a war. He calls on his soldiers to set their teeth and stretch their nostrils wide, to summon every ounce of strength and willpower, and to fight with all their might for their country, their families, and their honor.
Line by Line Meaning
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Let us charge one more time into battle, my dear friends.
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
If we don't succeed, we'll form a wall of our own dead English bodies.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
Nothing makes a man more honorable than being calm and humble during times of peace.
As modest stillness and humility:
To be serene and humble is an admirable quality to have.
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
But when the call to war is sounded, it's time to be fierce.
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Channel the power of the tiger and act like it.
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Strengthen your nerves and focus on the task ahead.
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Mask your gentleness with a stern and aggressive demeanor.
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Appear menacing and terrifying with your gaze.
Let it pry through the portage of the head
Let your eyes pierce the enemy's armor.
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
Let your forehead be like the barrel of a gun and intimidate your foes.
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
As scary as a landslide on a steep hill.
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Contort and deform as it towers over its confused foundation.
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Overflowing with water from the tumultuous and unruly sea.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Get ready to grit your teeth and breathe heavily through your nose.
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
Hold your breath and gather strength and courage from within.
To his full height! On, on, you noblest English!
Stand tall and proud! Charge ahead, noble Englishmen!
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof;
Descendants of fathers who were battle-hardened and battle-ready.
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Fathers who were like Alexander the Great, warriors supreme.
Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
Who have fought from sunrise to sunset in these parts.
And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument.
And put their swords away when there was nothing left to fight.
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
Don't bring shame to your mothers; show them what you're made of!
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Show that you are the true sons of the fathers who came before you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
Be an example to those who are not born into noble bloodlines.
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeomen,
Teach them how to fight. And you, brave commoners,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
You, who were born and raised in England, reveal your strength to us now.
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
Let us see the quality of your character and pledge.
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
That you are indeed worthy of your heritage, which I have no doubt about.
For there is none of you so mean and base
For there is not a single one of you who is pathetic and lowly.
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
Whose gaze doesn't shine with noble brilliance.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
I see you poised and ready to dash forward like greyhounds from the starting line.
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Eager to begin. The game, or rather, the war, has begun.
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge
Let your inner selves lead you. And as you charge forward,
Cry 'God for Harry! England and Saint George!
Shout out 'God for Harry! England and Saint George!'
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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