The Loyalist

I see my name all over town
From the shop signs to the graveyard
I’ve wandered here, two hundred years
Through every generation
Sometimes I wonder do they ever think of me?
A distant figure from the past
Moss covered headstone, just a piece of history
Is my name fading out at last - I am the loyalist
Our crops were in, a well earned rest
We heard the hoofbeats in the twilight
And we were told, horses and gold
Were needed for the insurrection
And though I knew what it might cost us I replied
“Whose bread it eat, his song I sing”
They beat me bloody, called me “filthy Tory spy”
But I would not betray my King I am the loyalist
Bridge:
They said Revolution is the anvil, where freedom must be forged
They said that I should fight for freedom, but I owe liberty and life to King
George
So once again, we had to flee
Taking just what we could carry
To try once more, on these rocky shores
To build our farms in this new country
Like dancing beggars here, we did the best we could
Claiming the land by Shelburne Bay
I’ll run no further, no I’m staying here for good
Though my descendants move away I am the loyalist
I see my name, all over town
From the shop signs to the graveyard
I’ve wandered here, two hundred years
Through every generation