"Do Your Worst, And We Will Do Our Best.." - July 14, 1941

Do your worst, and we will do our best
Here we join Churchill in this famous address to Hitler
Delivered in a luncheon given by the London County Council
July 14, 1941

London is so vast and so strong that she is like a prehistoric monster
Into whose armored hide showers of arrows can be shot in vain
But a frightful measure of cruelty has been inflicted upon the great cities and seaboard of the country
Well, I say here while we are entitled to speak of London affair
Particularly I say here that we honor them
For their constancy in a comradeship of suffering, of endurance, and of triumph

Yeah, yeah, yeah

That us
That comradeship under this unprecedented, novel pressure, hideous pressure
Applied to modern communities
Has united us all, and it has proved to the world the quality of our island life
I have no doubt whatever
That I said to the forces, the civil defense forces in Hyde Park this morning
That the behavior of the British people under this trial
Gained them conquests in the mind and spirit
Sympathy of the United States of America
Which swept (ha-ha) into an ignominious corner
All the finest tropes of Goebbels propaganda

Yah, yah

We have to ask ourselves this question
Will the bombing attacks of last autumn and winter come back again?
Mr. Chairman, we are proceeding on the assumption that they will
Some months ago, I requested my right honorable friend
The Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security
And his principal colleagues, the Minister of Health and others
To make every preparation for the autumn and winter war
As if we should have to go through the same ordeal as last year
Only rather worse

I am sure that everything is being done in accordance with those directions
The shelters are being strengthened, improved, lightened and warmed
All arrangements for fire-control and fire watching are being improved perpetually

Many new arrangements are being contrived
As a result of the hard experience through which we have passed
And the many mistakes no doubt we have made
For ah, success is the result of making many mistakes
And learning, and learning from experience
Ah, if the lull
Many new arrangements have been made
And if the lull is to end
If the storm is to renew itself
London will be ready
London will not flinch
London can take it again

We ask no favors of the enemy
We seek from them no compunction
On the contrary, if tonight the people of London
Were asked to cast their vote
Or to whether a convention should be entered into to stop the bombing of all cities
An overwhelming majority would cry
No, we will mete out to the Germans the measure
And more than the measure
That they have meted out to us
The people of London with one voice would say to Hitler
You have committed every crime under the sun
Where you have been the least resisted
There you have been the most brutal
It was you who began the indiscriminate bombing
We remember Warsaw in the very first few days, first two days of the war
We remember Rottendam
We have been newly reminded of your habits
By the hideous massacre in Belgrade
We know too well the bestial assault you are making upon the Russian people
To whom our hearts go out in their valiant struggle
We will have no truce or parley with you
Or the grisly gang work your wicked will
You do your worst and we will do our best
Perhaps
Perhaps it may be our turn soon
Perhaps it may be our turn now