John Dennis Phelan
Air–“Ye Mariners of England.”
I.
Ye men of Alabama,
Awake, arise, awake!
And rend the coils asunder
Of this Abolition snake.
If another fold he fastens–
If this final coil he plies–
In the cold clasp of hate and power
Fair Alabama dies.
II.
Though round your lower limbs and waist
His deadly coils I see,
Yet, yet, thank Heaven! your head and arms,
And good right hand, are free;
And in that hand there glistens–
O God! what joy to feel!–
A polished blade, full sharp and keen,
Of tempered State Rights steel.
III.
Now, by the free-born sires
From whose brave loins ye sprung!
And by the noble mothers
At whose fond breasts ye hung!
And by your wives and daughters,
And by the ills they dread,
Drive deep that good Secession steel
Right through the Monster’s head.
IV.
This serpent Abolition
Has been coiling on for years;
We have reasoned, we have threatened,
We have begged almost with tears:
Now, away, away with Union,
Since on our Southern soil
The only _union_ left us
Is an anaconda’s coil.
V.
Brave little South Carolina
Will strike the self-same blow,
And Florida, and Georgia,
And Mississippi too;
And Arkansas, and Texas;
And at the death, I ween,
The head will fall beneath the blows
Of all the brave Fifteen.
VI.
In this our day of trial,
Let feuds and factions cease,
Until above this howling storm
We see the sign of Peace.
Let Southern men, like brothers,
In solid phalanx stand,
And poise their spears, and lock their shields,
To guard their native land.
VII.
The love that for the Union
Once in our bosoms beat,
From insult and from injury
Has turned to scorn and hate;
And the banner of Secession
To-day we lift on high,
Resolved, beneath that sacred flag,
To conquer, or TO DIE!
Montgomery Advertiser, October, 1860.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is written to wake people up, not to persuade them through careful reasoning. It assumes its audience already feels threatened and angry, and its job is to turn that feeling into action. From the opening call to “awake,” the poem frames delay as deadly. Waiting, negotiating, or remaining still are treated as forms of surrender. The central image of the snake tightening its coils leaves no space for compromise. Either the snake is killed, or Alabama dies. That kind of framing removes alternatives and forces a single conclusion.
The metaphor of the Abolition movement as a serpent does most of the work here. It is described as cold, hateful, and strangling, something unnatural and malicious rather than political or human. By turning the opponent into a monster, the poem makes violence feel defensive and necessary. Striking is not aggression but survival. The repeated focus on coils tightening reinforces urgency and fear, suggesting that time itself is the enemy.
The poem leans heavily on inherited duty. Fathers, mothers, wives, and daughters are invoked not as individuals but as moral leverage. The speaker does not describe their thoughts or feelings; they exist to justify action. Protection of women and children is used as a pressure point, implying that failure to act is a failure of manhood. This is reinforced by the emphasis on the “good right hand” holding a blade. Masculinity is tied directly to the willingness to use force.
State rights are presented not as an abstract principle but as a weapon, literally forged into steel. This turns ideology into something physical and sharp. The poem avoids legal or constitutional debate and replaces it with imagery of stabbing and severing. Secession becomes an act of self-defense rather than rebellion. The Union, once loved, is declared dead in moral terms before it is rejected politically. What remains, the poem argues, is not a partnership but a chokehold.
There is also an effort to normalize collective violence by spreading responsibility across many states. Alabama is not alone; others will strike as well. Listing the Southern states creates a sense of inevitability and safety in numbers. If everyone moves together, no one is truly choosing alone. The image of “the brave Fifteen” suggests unity and shared courage, even though the poem also calls for internal feuds to be set aside, implying that division already exists.
The closing stanzas make the poem’s purpose clear. This is a call for unity under a new flag, with conquest or death as the only acceptable outcomes. The language does not pretend to be reluctant or sorrowful. Hate is openly acknowledged and justified as the result of insult and injury. Peace is imagined only after force has been applied.
As war poetry, this piece functions squarely as propaganda. It simplifies causes, demonizes opponents, and equates hesitation with doom. It does not care whether its claims are accurate so much as whether they are motivating. Its success lies in how completely it closes off doubt. The poem is not asking readers what they think; it is telling them what they must do, and why failing to do it would be unforgivable.