A Life on the Ocean Wave
"A Life on the Ocean Wave" is a poem-turned-song by Epes Sargent published in 1838 and set to music by Henry Russell. It is the iconic Regimental March of Her Majesty's Royal Marines. Origin of the poem and song. One day Sargent was walking on The Battery in New York City watching the ships enter the harbour. This scene inspired Sargent to write a poem, which Russell later put to music. The song soon became popular in both the United Kingdom and the United States. History of cultural uses of the  song. At an 1851 celebration in Salem, Massachusetts, the Boston Cadet Band gave the new clipper ship "Witch of the Wave" a lively sendoff by striking up "A Life on the Ocean Wave" as the SS "R. B. Forbes" towed the new clipper out to set sail for Boston. The tune, slightly altered, provides the music for the Latter-day Saint hymn "Who's On The Lord's Side?"