Lyrics The Yeomen of the Guard, Act I: "When our gallant Norman foes" - Anne Collins feat. Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner

When our gallant Norman foes
Made our merry land their own
And the Saxons from the Conqueror were flying
At his bidding it arose
In its canopy of stone
A sentinel unliving and undying
Insensible, I trow
As a sentinel should be
Though a queen to save her head should come a-suing
There's a legend on its brow
That is eloquent to me
And it tells of duty done and duty doing
The screw may twist and the rag may turn
And men may bleed and men may burn
O London town and its golden horn
I keep my silent watch and ward
Within its wall of rock
The flower of the brave have perished
With a constancy unshaken
From the dungeon to the block
From the scaffold to the grave
Is a journey many gallant hearts have taken
And the wicked flames may hiss
Around our heroes who have fought for conscience
And for home in all its beauty
But the grim old fortress takes little heed
Of aught that comes not in the measure of its duty