"The King of the Air" (1857)
Bass Song
Melody Composed by J. Tilley
Arranged for the Piano Forte
by John Rogers Thomas, 1830-1896

New York: Firth, Son & Co., 563 Broadway
Plate No. 4189
[Source: @NYPL]

1.
They may boast of the whale in the boist'rous gale,
As he plays in his might with the storm,
The lion may prowl where the hoarse winds howl,
In the pride of his strength and form,
In the pride of his strength and form;

Yet strong tho' they be they're not so free,
As the Eagle that knows no bound,
For he takes his flight from his rock built height,
And he wanders the wide world around,
And he wanders the wide world around.

2.
He rides o'er the sea on his pinions free,
And through the earth doth roam,
He's unconfin'd and swift as the wind,
And his throne is his mountain home,
And his throne is his mountain home.

He soars on high in the midday sky,
And looks in the sun's bright glare,
He roams at his will over land, sea and hill,
And he reigns the king of the air,
And he reigns the king of the air.