'Mid the smoke and the heat of battle,
Where men fought for wrong or right,
'Mid the clash and the roar and the rattle,
Where fiercest raged the fight,
Stood the old gun,
Hurling his bolts of thunder
Into the ranks of those
Who dared to brave his anger,
Who dared to be his foes,
Dared face the gun.
'Mid the daisies and clover growing
On that long-ago battle plain,
Kissed by the soft winds, blowing
Over the graves of the slain,
Lies the old gun.
Around him frolic the children,
Noisy with innocent glee,
But silent and still he lies there,
Who helped make a nation free,
Asleep in the sun.