Jimmy Waddell and the Battle of the Somme

歌詞

Ma name is Jimmy Waddell, Ah wis born in Summerlee A workin' Jo frae a miner's row as straight as Ah cin be Gied nae thocht tae ma future or the trade Ah wis tae dae Ma fem'ly's line was, "Tak yer time, ye'll soon find yer own way" Faither kept me oot the mines, ma mither frae the sea Ah've tried ma hand at workin' the land, it's no' the life for me Then one day Ah met a sairgeant bold recruitin' in oor toon He looked sae braw wi' his trews an' a', so Ah signed up there an' then Sae Ah will follow the mairchin' drum The pipes that sound sae clear Ah'm gaun tae strive for a sodger's life There's nuthin' for me here Mither wisnae angry, ma faither, he jist smiled For he'd been a recruit in the First of Foot when her he'rt he'd first beguiled He telt me, "Keep yer nose clean, son, when in yer barrack room Don't show fear, don't volunteer, and keep yer heid weel doon" An ye will follow the mairchin' drum The pipes that sound sae clear Ye're gaun tae strive for a sodger's life There's nuthin' for ye here When ma freens a' heard that Ah had signed the dotted line Some cried me daft, some cried me saft, some thocht Ah'd din jist fine An' twa that Ah'd bin tae school wi' telt me they'd done the same So we drank oor share o' the Black Bull's beer, we sang oorselves back hame Singin', "We will follow the mairchin' drum The pipes that sound sae clear We're gaun tae strive for a sodger's life There's nuthin' for us here" Ah nivver slept a wink that night, ma excitement hard t' bear For aw Ah heard were the sairgeant's words still ringin' in ma ear "This is peace-time, sodgerin' lads, an easy life for sure This is 1914, so what chance is there o' war?"