The word was out in Washington

There's gonna to be a fight,

So they headed out to watch it

In the middle of the night,

They came in gowns with parasols

And suits with walking canes,

To cheer their boys to vict'ry in

The army's first campaign.

Those southern boys can't fight

They said, they're slower than molasses,

Our troops will send the running home

To cry about Manassas,

Yes, They just knew their soldiers

Were the toughest on the planet,

But that's before they ran into

That southern wall of granite.

From on the Heights of Centerville

They waited for the show,

With their opera glasses focused

On the countryside below,

Our union boys, will mop them up

They're sure to win the fight,

Within an hour, I'll bet we'll see

The rebel boys in flight.

It seems those southern boys could fight

With fearsome counteraction,

And stood like mountains, right beside

Their leader, "Stonewall" Jackson,

Those southern boys can't fight,

They said, they're slower than molasses.

Our troops will send the running home

To cry about Manassas,

Yes, they just knew their soldiers

Were the toughest on the planet,

But that's before they ran into

That southern wall of granite.