Wait before you fire

They came to our village and asked for the young men
To do what they could, for their country and king
And I being young thought I might be a hero
They told me I would - for that moment I was

The mothers they cried as they waved to their sons
Then they went home alone to the emptiness there
And the girls who had sweethearts they clung to each other
Their eyes tightly closed as they whispered a prayer

Oh wait - before you fire
Don't make me leave this world so quickly
Twas you who got me into this
Must I go like this

I put on my uniform bright red and shining
Marched with my friends round the streets and the square
I learned how to fight with the gun and the bayonet
That victory went, to the man who would dare

We went by a boat, by a train to the front
Heard the pounding of guns and the thrill of the war
The great calling to battle of thousands from England
For their country, their King, their loved ones and more.

Oh wait - before you fire
Don't make me leave this world so quickly
Twas you who got me into this
Must I go like this

As we marched to the front with the rain slowly falling
The wounded and dead, were all passing us by
And we watched as the first row of men left the trenches
And died so quickly that I started to cry

You asked me to do what I can for my country
But I cannot do this, give me one reason why
This is not what I meant - find me some other way
And I'll help all I can, but I cannot, just die.

Thought they told me a lie, they say they have not
As reward fro my eagerness I must be shot
And my friends who must kill me they will hardly survive
But what would I give for a few more moments alive...

Oh wait - before you fire

In the 1914- 1918 war 700 men - boys mainly - were shot for 'cowardice'. That's being too frightened to walk towards a machine gun.

The firing squads were composed of the friends of the victim - as a 'lesson' to them.

General Haig was a stupid man. Fairly typical of the men in charge of the army at that time. If you find that difficult to believe, read H.G. Wells' autobiography where he and Churchill try to get the army to use tanks because they would be more effective and save hundreds of lives. Churchill did eventually stop Haig, but it was much, much too late.

Several people have spoken to me about this song. One woman told me her father was part of such a firing squad. He told her the kindest thing you could do was to shoot straight, but it left a terrible mark on his life.

It was different in the 39-45 war. Spike Milligan was sent to a convalescent home in Italy when he broke down. What a loss it would have been if he'd been shot.