Lyrics: The Remembrance (Jake Thackray)

In G.

Remember the bands and the grand parades,
The flags, the banners, the fine cockades,
And how we all looked up to see the King upon the balcony:
Who told us we were young and brave,
We'd never become the Foreigner's slave -
If the Foreigner comes off best, he said,
You'll be better off dead...

...and this was a couple of weeks before we got killed in the war.

Remember the drums and the trumpets played
When we set sail on the great crusade,
And how we all looked up to see the Clergyman on the quay:
Who told us we were grand and good
To fight for God, as good men should -
If the Enemy comes off best, he said,
You'll be better off dead...

...and this was a couple of days before we got killed in the war.

Remember the night before the raid
When the guns began the cannonade,
And how we all looked up to see the Captain of the company:
Who told us we were bold and strong,
Let fame and glory spur us on -
If the Enemy comes off best, he said,
You'll be better off dead...

...and this was a couple of hours before we got killed in the war.

Remember the shock of the ambuscade,
Remember the terrible fusillade,
And how we all looked up to see the curious face of the Enemy:
Who was young, and shabby, and seemed to be
About as foreign as you or me -
I never did catch what the poor sod said
When he made sure we were dead...

...and this was a couple of shakes before we got killed in the war.