EL CAPITAN
Lyrics: Charles Burr and Thomas T. Frost - Music: John Philip Sousa

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with the Columbia Symphonic Band


Give me no easy clever talk,
But show me the way you walk!

The men who led the trains
When we were marching across the plains
Were men of flesh and blood,
Determination and brotherhood.
But they grew tired.
Were inspired!
Yes! Like any other man.

They came from far away,
Forgotten heroes of yesterday,
And one among the clan
Was out in front when the trek began.
And all deferred to him,
Preferred to stride beside "El Capitan."

He was El Capitan!
The set of his head, his tread, his gaze
Betrayed in a wealth of healthy ways
The hallmarks of a man,
The sort of a being called "El Cap-i-tan!"

Stride on, El Capitan!
Your ultimate goal, your role await
The way that you meet and greet your fate.
To end what you began
Is all you must do to be "El Cap-i-tan!"

Just to learn to tie your shoe, and take a step or two
Was quite a feat to do when you were one or two.
At three or four you ran before you understood full well 
How well you ran, pell mell you ran, and fell!

And as a child but running wild
You found that when you ran,
You ran without a plan, to end where you began.
Now fully grown and on your own
The measure of your gait, its quality and weight all state:

"I am El Capitan! I show the smile of a happy man.
Mile after mile I can lead the van,
So follow me, El Capitan!"

You are El Capitan!
What you can do any other man can do as well
If his heart be true.
We'll follow you, El Capitan!



(Contributed by Lou Rugani - The Music of the Stars (WLIP) - October 2012)