--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old Ironsides\" Aye tear her tattered…" description: "\"“Old Ironsides\" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky; Beneath it rung ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg" --- # Old Ironsides" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has… ![“Old Ironsides" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky; Beneath it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannon's roar;-- The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds no more. Her deck, once red with heroes' blood…” quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg) > ““Old Ironsides" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky; Beneath it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannon's roar;-- The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds no more. Her deck, once red with heroes' blood, Where knelt the vanquished foe, When winds were hurrying o'er the flood, And waves were white below, No more shall feel the victor's tread, Or know the conquered knee;-- The harpies of the shore shall pluck The eagle of the sea! Oh, better that her shattered hulk Should sink beneath the wave; Her thunders shook the mighty deep, And there should be her grave; Nail to the mast her holy flag, Set every threadbare sail, And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale!”” [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem laments the loss of a once-mighty ship, urging its destruction to end its lingering glory and suffering. **In simple terms:** A great ship should be let go when its glory fades. Key Takeaway Accept endings to prevent lingering pain. Themes loss acceptance war memory Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic lament When to use this quote - naval history - memorial services - personal grief - letting go Key Concepts impermanence heroism legacy Questions to Reflect On - What does letting go of past glory look like? - How can we honor memories without clinging? 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Turner [Browse all 38,922 War quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Old Ironsides\" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky; Beneath it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannon's roar;-- The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds no more. Her deck, once red with heroes' blood, Where knelt the vanquished foe, When winds were hurrying o'er the flood, And waves were white below, No more shall feel the victor's tread, Or know the conquered knee;-- The harpies of the shore shall pluck The eagle of the sea! Oh, better that her shattered hulk Should sink beneath the wave; Her thunders shook the mighty deep, And there should be her grave; Nail to the mast her holy flag, Set every threadbare sail, And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensign-down-long-has-it-waved-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "War" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensign-down-long-has-it-waved-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2-358_war_old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensi_678555.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Old Ironsides\" Aye tear her tattered ensign down long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to…” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Old Ironsides\" Aye tear her tattered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensign-down-long-has-it-waved-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/old-ironsides-aye-tear-her-tattered-ensign-down-long-has-it-waved-on/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```