Barrack-Room Ballads

<p><SPAN name="linkjacket" id="linkjacket"></SPAN></p> <br/> <h2> The Jacket </h2> <p>Through the Plagues of Egyp' we was chasin' Arabi,<br/> Gettin' down an' shovin' in the sun;<br/> An' you might 'ave called us dirty, an' you might ha' called us dry,<br/> An' you might 'ave 'eard us talkin' at the gun.<br/> But the Captain 'ad 'is jacket, an' the jacket it was new&mdash;<br/> ('Orse Gunners, listen to my song!)<br/> An' the wettin' of the jacket is the proper thing to do,<br/> Nor we didn't keep 'im waitin' very long.<br/> <br/> One day they gave us orders for to shell a sand redoubt,<br/> Loadin' down the axle-arms with case;<br/> But the Captain knew 'is dooty, an' he took the crackers out<br/> An' he put some proper liquor in its place.<br/> An' the Captain saw the shrapnel, which is six-an'-thirty clear.<br/> ('Orse Gunners, listen to my song!)<br/> &ldquo;Will you draw the weight,&rdquo; sez 'e, &ldquo;or will you draw the beer?&rdquo;<br/> An' we didn't keep 'im waitin' very long.<br/> For the Captain, etc.<br/> <br/> Then we trotted gentle, not to break the bloomin' glass,<br/> Though the Arabites 'ad all their ranges marked;<br/> But we dursn't 'ardly gallop, for the most was bottled Bass,<br/> An' we'd dreamed of it since we was disembarked:<br/> So we fired economic with the shells we 'ad in 'and,<br/> ('Orse Gunners, listen to my song!)<br/> But the beggars under cover 'ad the impidence to stand,<br/> An' we couldn't keep 'em waitin' very long.<br/> And the Captain, etc.<br/> <br/> So we finished 'arf the liquor (an' the Captain took champagne),<br/> An' the Arabites was shootin' all the while;<br/> An' we left our wounded 'appy with the empties on the plain,<br/> An' we used the bloomin' guns for pro-jec-tile!<br/> We limbered up an' galloped&mdash;there were nothin' else to do&mdash;<br/> ('Orse Gunners, listen to my song!)<br/> An' the Battery came a-boundin' like a boundin' kangaroo,<br/> But they didn't watch us comin' very long.<br/> As the Captain, etc.<br/> <br/> We was goin' most extended&mdash;we was drivin' very fine,<br/> An' the Arabites were loosin' 'igh an' wide,<br/> Till the Captain took the glassy with a rattlin' right incline,<br/> An' we dropped upon their 'eads the other side.<br/> Then we give 'em quarter&mdash;such as 'adn't up and cut,<br/> ('Orse Gunners, listen to my song!)<br/> An' the Captain stood a limberful of fizzy&mdash;somethin' Brutt,<br/> But we didn't leave it fizzing very long.<br/> For the Captain, etc.<br/> <br/> We might ha' been court-martialled, but it all come out all right<br/> When they signalled us to join the main command.<br/> There was every round expended, there was every gunner tight,<br/> An' the Captain waved a corkscrew in 'is 'and.<br/> But the Captain 'ad 'is jacket, etc.<br/></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />