John McCutcheon
Hope Dies Last
When the winds whip the barricades
And day has turned to night
The storm beats down the shelters of the poor
When the thunder is upon us
And we search in vain for light
And fear pounds her fist on every door
As the water rises
Our hearts are filled with fright
Still we seek the sight on yonder shore

Hope dies last
It is the flame that feeds the fire
Hope dies last
It is the dream that drives us higher
We revive
We remember
We're not the first, not the last
Ever holding fast
Hope dies last

David met Goliath
On the battlefield that day
Armed with hope, smooth and hard as a stone
Moses faced the pharaoh
And led the children all away
Until he ascended to the mountain top alone
Still we wander in the wilderness
Searching for a way
But to find that we were never far from home
Hope dies last
It is the flame that feeds the fire
Hope dies last
It is the dream that drives us higher
We revive
We remember
Not the first, not the last
Ever holding fast
Hope dies last

It is the cool breeze in the mineshaft
The shipwrecked sailor's dream
Message in a bottle
We are more than we seem
Hope dies last

Every seed we lay to rest
Every promise that's foretold
Every prayer that we offer up on high
Every ship we point to harbor
Every hand we reach to hold
Every lonely voice that dares to question why
Every child we bring to birth
Every vision we unfold
Every dream that keeps us reaching for the sky
Hope dies last
It is the flame that feeds the fire
Hope dies last
It is the dream that drives us higher
We revive
We remember
Not the first, not the last
Ever holding fast
(x2)
Hope dies last