“CLEARED”(In Memory of a Commission)Help for a patriot distressed, a spotless spirit hurt,Help for an honorable clan sore trampled in the dirt!From Queenstown Bay to Donegal, O listen to my song,The honorable gentlemen have suffered grievous wrong.Their noble names were mentioned—O the burning black disgrace!—By a brutal Saxon paper in an Irish shooting-case;They sat upon it for a year, then steeled their heart to brave it,And “coruscating innocence” the learned Judges gave it.Bear witness, Heaven, of that grim crime beneath the surgeon's knife,The honorable gentlemen deplored the loss of life;Bear witness of those chanting choirs that burk and shirk and snigger,No man laid hand upon the knife or finger to the trigger!Cleared in the face of all mankind beneath the winking skies,Like phoenixes from Phoenix Park (and what lay there) they rise!Go shout it to the emerald seas-give word to Erin now,Her honorable gentlemen are cleared—and this is how:They only paid the Moonlighter his cattle-hocking price,They only helped the murderer with council's best advice,But—sure it keeps their honor white—the learned Court believesThey never gave a piece of plate to murderers and thieves.They ever told the ramping crowd to card a woman's hide,They never marked a man for death—what fault of theirs he died?—They only said “intimidate,” and talked and went away—By God, the boys that did the work were braver men than they!Their sin it was that fed the fire—small blame to them that heardThe “bhoys” get drunk on rhetoric, and madden at the word—They knew whom they were talking at, if they were Irish too,The gentlemen that lied in Court, they knew and well they knew.They only took the Judas-gold from Fenians out of jail,They only fawned for dollars on the blood-dyed Clan-na-Gael.If black is black or white is white, ill black and white it's down,They're only traitors to the Queen and rebels to the Crown.“Cleared,” honorable gentlemen. Be thankful it's no more:The widow's curse is on your house, the dead are at your door.On you the shame of open shame, on you from North to SouthThe band of every honest man flat-heeled across your mouth.“Less black than we were painted”?—Faith, no word of black was said;The lightest touch was human blood, and that, ye know, runs red.It's sticking to your fist today for all your sneer and scoff,And by the Judge's well-weighed word you cannot wipe it off.Hold up those hands of innocence—go, scare your sheep, together,The blundering, tripping tups that bleat behind the old bell-wether;And if they snuff the taint and break to find another pen,Tell them it's tar that glistens so, and daub them yours again!“The charge is old”?—As old as Cain—as fresh as yesterday;Old as the Ten Commandments, have ye talked those laws away?If words are words, or death is death, or powder sends the ball,You spoke the words that sped the shot—the curse be on you all.“Our friends believe”? Of course they do—as sheltered women may;But have they seen the shrieking soul ripped from the quivering clay?They—If their own front door is shut, they'll swear the whole world's warm;What do they know of dread of death or hanging fear of harm?The secret half a country keeps, the whisper in the lane,The shriek that tells the shot went home behind the broken pane,The dry blood crisping in the sun that scares the honest bees,And shows the “bhoys” have heard your talk—what do they know of these?But you—you know—ay, ten times more; the secrets of the dead,Black terror on the country-side by word and whisper bred,The mangled stallion's scream at night, the tail-cropped heifer's low.Who set the whisper going first? You know, and well you know!My soul! I'd sooner lie in jail for murder plain and straight,Pure crime I'd done with my own hand for money, lust, or hate,Than take a seat in Parliament by fellow-felons cheered,While one of those “not provens” proved me cleared as you are cleared.Cleared—you that “lost” the League accounts—go, guard our honor still,Go, help to make our country's laws that broke God's laws at will—One hand stuck out behind the back, to signal “strike again”;The other on your dress-shirt front to show your heart is @dane,If black is black or white is white, in black and white it's down,You're only traitors to the Queen and but rebels to the CrownIf print is print or words are words, the learned Court perpends:We are not ruled by murderers, only—by their friends.
Now this is the tale of the Council the German Kaiser decreed,To ease the strong of their burden, to help the weak in their need,He sent a word to the peoples, who struggle, and pant, and sweat,That the straw might be counted fairly and the tally of bricks be set.The Lords of Their Hands assembled; from the East and the West they drew—Baltimore, Lille, and Essen, Brummagem, Clyde, and Crewe.And some were black from the furnace, and some were brown from the soil,And some were blue from the dye-vat; but all were wearied of toil.And the young King said:—“I have found it, the road to the rest ye seek:The strong shall wait for the weary, the hale shall halt for the weak;With the even tramp of an army where no man breaks from the line,Ye shall march to peace and plenty in the bond of brotherhood—sign!”The paper lay on the table, the strong heads bowed thereby,And a wail went up from the peoples:—“Ay, sign—give rest, for we die!”A hand was stretched to the goose-quill, a fist was cramped to scrawl,When—the laugh of a blue-eyed maiden ran clear through the council-hall.And each one heard Her laughing as each one saw Her plain—Saidie, Mimi, or Olga, Gretchen, or Mary Jane.And the Spirit of Man that is in Him to the light of the vision woke;And the men drew back from the paper, as a Yankee delegate spoke:—“There's a girl in Jersey City who works on the telephone;We're going to hitch our horses and dig for a house of our own,With gas and water connections, and steam-heat through to the top;And, W. Hohenzollern, I guess I shall work till I drop.”And an English delegate thundered:—“The weak an' the lame be blowed!I've a berth in the Sou'-West workshops, a home in the Wandsworth Road;And till the 'sociation has footed my buryin' bill,I work for the kids an' the missus. Pull up? I be damned if I will!”And over the German benches the bearded whisper ran:—“Lager, der girls und der dollars, dey makes or dey breaks a man.If Schmitt haf collared der dollars, he collars der girl deremit;But if Schmitt bust in der pizness, we collars der girl from Schmitt.”They passed one resolution:—“Your sub-committee believeYou can lighten the curse of Adam when you've lightened the curse of Eve.But till we are built like angels, with hammer and chisel and pen,We will work for ourself and a woman, for ever and ever, amen.”Now this is the tale of the Council the German Kaiser held—The day that they razored the Grindstone, the day that the Cat was belled,The day of the Figs from Thistles, the day of the Twisted Sands,The day that the laugh of a maiden made light of the Lords of Their Hands.
Now Tomlinson gave up the ghost in his house in Berkeley Square,And a Spirit came to his bedside and gripped him by the hair—A Spirit gripped him by the hair and carried him far away,Till he heard as the roar of a rain-fed ford the roar of the Milky Way:Till he heard the roar of the Milky Way die down and drone and cease,And they came to the Gate within the Wall where Peter holds the keys.“Stand up, stand up now, Tomlinson, and answer loud and highThe good that ye did for the sake of men or ever ye came to die—The good that ye did for the sake of men in little earth so lone!”And the naked soul of Tomlinson grew white as a rain-washed bone.“O I have a friend on earth,” he said, “that was my priest and guide,And well would he answer all for me if he were by my side.”—“For that ye strove in neighbour-love it shall be written fair,But now ye wait at Heaven's Gate and not in Berkeley Square:Though we called your friend from his bed this night, he could not speakfor you,For the race is run by one and one and never by two and two.”Then Tomlinson looked up and down, and little gain was there,For the naked stars grinned overhead, and he saw that his soul was bare:The Wind that blows between the worlds, it cut him like a knife,And Tomlinson took up his tale and spoke of his good in life.“This I have read in a book,” he said, “and that was told to me,And this I have thought that another man thought of a Prince in Muscovy.”The good souls flocked like homing doves and bade him clear the path,And Peter twirled the jangling keys in weariness and wrath.“Ye have read, ye have heard, ye have thought,” he said, “and the tale isyet to run:By the worth of the body that once ye had, give answer—what ha'ye done?”Then Tomlinson looked back and forth, and little good it bore,For the Darkness stayed at his shoulder-blade and Heaven's Gate before:—“O this I have felt, and this I have guessed, and this I have heard men say,And this they wrote that another man wrote of a carl in Norroway.”—“Ye have read, ye have felt, ye have guessed, good lack! Ye have hamperedHeaven's Gate;There's little room between the stars in idleness to prate!O none may reach by hired speech of neighbour, priest, and kinThrough borrowed deed to God's good meed that lies so fair within;Get hence, get hence to the Lord of Wrong, for doom has yet to run,And...the faith that ye share with Berkeley Square uphold you, Tomlinson!”
The Spirit gripped him by the hair, and sun by sun they fellTill they came to the belt of Naughty Stars that rim the mouth of Hell:The first are red with pride and wrath, the next are white with pain,But the third are black with clinkered sin that cannot burn again:They may hold their path, they may leave their path, with never a soul tomark,They may burn or freeze, but they must not cease in the Scorn of the OuterDark.The Wind that blows between the worlds, it nipped him to the bone,And he yearned to the flare of Hell-Gate there as the light of his ownhearth-stone.The Devil he sat behind the bars, where the desperate legions drew,But he caught the hasting Tomlinson and would not let him through.“Wot ye the price of good pit-coal that I must pay?” said he,“That ye rank yoursel' so fit for Hell and ask no leave of me?I am all o'er-sib to Adam's breed that ye should give me scorn,For I strove with God for your First Father the day that he was born.“Sit down, sit down upon the slag, and answer loud and highThe harm that ye did to the Sons of Men or ever you came to die.”And Tomlinson looked up and up, and saw against the nightThe belly of a tortured star blood-red in Hell-Mouth light;And Tomlinson looked down and down, and saw beneath his feetThe frontlet of a tortured star milk-white in Hell-Mouth heat.“O I had a love on earth,” said he, “that kissed me to my fall,And if ye would call my love to me I know she would answer all.”—“All that ye did in love forbid it shall be written fair,But now ye wait at Hell-Mouth Gate and not in Berkeley Square:Though we whistled your love from her bed tonight, I trow she would not run,For the sin ye do by two and two ye must pay for one by one!”The Wind that blows between the worlds, it cut him like a knife,And Tomlinson took up the tale and spoke of his sin in life:—“Once I ha' laughed at the power of Love and twice at the grip of the Grave,And thrice I ha' patted my God on the head that men might call me brave.”The Devil he blew on a brandered soul and set it aside to cool:—“Do ye think I would waste my good pit-coal on the hide of a brain-sick fool?I see no worth in the hobnailed mirth or the jolthead jest ye didThat I should waken my gentlemen that are sleeping three on a grid.”Then Tomlinson looked back and forth, and there was little grace,For Hell-Gate filled the houseless Soul with the Fear of Naked Space.“Nay, this I ha' heard,” quo' Tomlinson, “and this was noised abroad,And this I ha' got from a Belgian book on the word of a dead French lord.”—“Ye ha' heard, ye ha' read, ye ha' got, good lack! and the tale beginsafresh—Have ye sinned one sin for the pride o' the eye or the sinful lust of theflesh?”Then Tomlinson he gripped the bars and yammered, “Let me in—For I mind that I borrowed my neighbour's wife to sin the deadly sin.”The Devil he grinned behind the bars, and banked the fires high:“Did ye read of that sin in a book?” said he; and Tomlinson said, “Ay!”The Devil he blew upon his nails, and the little devils ran,And he said: “Go husk this whimpering thief that comes in the guise of a man:Winnow him out 'twixt star and star, and sieve his proper worth:There's sore decline in Adam's line if this be spawn of earth.”Empusa's crew, so naked-new they may not face the fire,But weep that they bin too small to sin to the height of their desire,Over the coal they chased the Soul, and racked it all abroad,As children rifle a caddis-case or the raven's foolish hoard.And back they came with the tattered Thing, as children after play,And they said: “The soul that he got from God he has bartered clean away.“We have threshed a stook of print and book, and winnowed a chattering windAnd many a soul wherefrom he stole, but his we cannot find:We have handled him, we have dandled him, we have seared him to the bone,And sure if tooth and nail show truth he has no soul of his own.”The Devil he bowed his head on his breast and rumbled deep and low:—“I'm all o'er-sib to Adam's breed that I should bid him go.“Yet close we lie, and deep we lie, and if I gave him place,My gentlemen that are so proud would flout me to my face;They'd call my house a common stews and me a careless host,And—I would not anger my gentlemen for the sake of a shiftless ghost.”The Devil he looked at the mangled Soul that prayed to feel the flame,And he thought of Holy Charity, but he thought of his own good name:—“Now ye could haste my coal to waste, and sit ye down to fry:Did ye think of that theft for yourself?” said he; and Tomlinson said, “Ay!”The Devil he blew an outward breath, for his heart was free from care:—“Ye have scarce the soul of a louse,” he said, “but the roots of sin arethere,And for that sin should ye come in were I the lord alone.But sinful pride has rule inside—and mightier than my own.“Honour and Wit, fore-damned they sit, to each his priest and whore:Nay, scarce I dare myself go there, and you they'd torture sore.“Ye are neither spirit nor spirk,” he said;“ye are neither book nor brute—Go, get ye back to the flesh again for the sake of Man's repute.“I'm all o'er-sib to Adam's breed that I should mock your pain,But look that ye win to worthier sin ere ye come back again.Get hence, the hearse is at your door—the grim black stallions wait—They bear your clay to place today. Speed, lest ye come too late!Go back to Earth with a lip unsealed—go back with an open eye,And carry my word to the Sons of Men or ever ye come to die:That the sin they do by two and two they must pay for one by one—And...the God that you took from a printed book be with you, Tomlinson!”* * * * * * *
DedicationTo T. A.I have made for you a song,And it may be right or wrong,But only you can tell me if it's true;I have tried for to explainBoth your pleasure and your pain,And, Thomas, here's my best respects to you!O there'll surely come a dayWhen they'll give you all your pay,And treat you as a Christian ought to do;So, until that day comes round,Heaven keep you safe and sound,And, Thomas, here's my best respects to you!—R. K.
“What are the bugles blowin' for?” said Files-on-Parade.“To turn you out, to turn you out”, the Colour-Sergeant said.“What makes you look so white, so white?” said Files-on-Parade.“I'm dreadin' what I've got to watch”, the Colour-Sergeant said.For they're hangin' Danny Deever, you can hear the Dead March play,The regiment's in 'ollow square—they're hangin' him today;They've taken of his buttons off an' cut his stripes away,An' they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.“What makes the rear-rank breathe so 'ard?” said Files-on-Parade.“It's bitter cold, it's bitter cold”, the Colour-Sergeant said.“What makes that front-rank man fall down?” said Files-on-Parade.“A touch o' sun, a touch o' sun”, the Colour-Sergeant said.They are hangin' Danny Deever, they are marchin' of 'im round,They 'ave 'alted Danny Deever by 'is coffin on the ground;An' 'e'll swing in 'arf a minute for a sneakin' shootin' hound—O they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'!“'Is cot was right-'and cot to mine”, said Files-on-Parade.“'E's sleepin' out an' far tonight”, the Colour-Sergeant said.“I've drunk 'is beer a score o' times”, said Files-on-Parade.“'E's drinkin' bitter beer alone”, the Colour-Sergeant said.They are hangin' Danny Deever, you must mark 'im to 'is place,For 'e shot a comrade sleepin'—you must look 'im in the face;Nine 'undred of 'is county an' the regiment's disgrace,While they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.“What's that so black agin' the sun?” said Files-on-Parade.“It's Danny fightin' 'ard for life”, the Colour-Sergeant said.“What's that that whimpers over'ead?” said Files-on-Parade.“It's Danny's soul that's passin' now”, the Colour-Sergeant said.For they're done with Danny Deever, you can 'ear the quickstep play,The regiment's in column, an' they're marchin' us away;Ho! the young recruits are shakin', an' they'll want their beer today,After hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,The publican 'e up an' sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, go away”;But it's “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,O it's “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.I went into a theatre as sober as could be,They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, wait outside”;But it's “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper's on the tide,The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,O it's “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper's on the tide.Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleepIs cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bitIs five times better business than paradin' in full kit.Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?”But it's “Thin red line of 'eroes” when the drums begin to roll,The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,O it's “Thin red line of 'eroes” when the drums begin to roll.We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that,an' “Tommy, fall be'ind”,But it's “Please to walk in front, sir”,when there's trouble in the wind,There's trouble in the wind, my boys,there's trouble in the wind,O it's “Please to walk in front, sir”,when there's trouble in the wind.You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our faceThe Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Chuck him out, the brute!”But it's “Saviour of 'is country” when the guns begin to shoot;An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool—you bet that Tommy sees!
FUZZY-WUZZY(Soudan Expeditionary Force)We've fought with many men acrost the seas,An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not:The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese;But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot.We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im:'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses,'E cut our sentries up at Suakim,An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces.So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signedWe'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined.We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills,The Boers knocked us silly at a mile,The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills,An' a Zulu impi dished us up in style:But all we ever got from such as theyWas pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller;We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say,But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller.Then 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid;Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did.We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair;But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square.'E 'asn't got no papers of 'is own,'E 'asn't got no medals nor rewards,So we must certify the skill 'e's shownIn usin' of 'is long two-'anded swords:When 'e's 'oppin' in an' out among the bushWith 'is coffin-'eaded shield an' shovel-spear,An 'appy day with Fuzzy on the rushWill last an 'ealthy Tommy for a year.So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' your friends which are no more,If we 'adn't lost some messmates we would 'elp you to deplore;But give an' take's the gospel, an' we'll call the bargain fair,For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square!'E rushes at the smoke when we let drive,An', before we know, 'e's 'ackin' at our 'ead;'E's all 'ot sand an' ginger when alive,An' 'e's generally shammin' when 'e's dead.'E's a daisy, 'e's a ducky, 'e's a lamb!'E's a injia-rubber idiot on the spree,'E's the on'y thing that doesn't give a damnFor a Regiment o' British Infantree!So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;An' 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air—You big black boundin' beggar—for you broke a British square!
“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,Why don't you march with my true love?”“We're fresh from off the ship an' 'e's maybe give the slip,An' you'd best go look for a new love.”New love! True love!Best go look for a new love,The dead they cannot rise, an' you'd better dry your eyes,An' you'd best go look for a new love.“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,What did you see o' my true love?”“I seed 'im serve the Queen in a suit o' rifle-green,An' you'd best go look for a new love.”“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,Did ye see no more o' my true love?”“I seed 'im runnin' by when the shots begun to fly—But you'd best go look for a new love.”“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,Did aught take 'arm to my true love?”“I couldn't see the fight, for the smoke it lay so white—An' you'd best go look for a new love.”“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,I'll up an' tend to my true love!”“'E's lying on the dead with a bullet through 'is 'ead,An' you'd best go look for a new love.”“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,I'll down an' die with my true love!”“The pit we dug'll 'ide 'im an' the twenty men beside 'im—An' you'd best go look for a new love.”“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,Do you bring no sign from my true love?”“I bring a lock of 'air that 'e allus used to wear,An' you'd best go look for a new love.”“Soldier, soldier come from the wars,O then I know it's true I've lost my true love!”“An' I tell you truth again—when you've lost the feel o' painYou'd best take me for your true love.”True love! New love!Best take 'im for a new love,The dead they cannot rise, an' you'd better dry your eyes,An' you'd best take 'im for your true love.
Smokin' my pipe on the mountings,sniffin' the mornin' cool,I walks in my old brown gaitersalong o' my old brown mule,With seventy gunners be'ind me,an' never a beggar forgetsIt's only the pick of the Armythat handles the dear little pets—'Tss! 'Tss!For you all love the screw-guns—the screw-guns they all love you!So when we call round with a few guns,o' course you will know what to do—hoo! hoo!Jest send in your Chief an' surrender—it's worse if you fights or you runs:You can go where you please, you can skid up the trees,but you don't get away from the guns!They sends us along where the roads are,but mostly we goes where they ain't:We'd climb up the side of a sign-boardan' trust to the stick o' the paint:We've chivied the Naga an' Looshai,we've give the Afreedeeman fits,For we fancies ourselves at two thousand,we guns that are built in two bits—'Tss! 'Tss!For you all love the screw-guns...If a man doesn't work, why, we drills 'iman' teaches 'im 'ow to behave;If a beggar can't march, why, we kills 'iman' rattles 'im into 'is grave.You've got to stand up to our businessan' spring without snatchin' or fuss.D'you say that you sweat with the field-guns?By God, you must lather with us—'Tss! 'Tss!For you all love the screw-guns...The eagles is screamin' around us,the river's a-moanin' below,We're clear o' the pine an' the oak-scrub,we're out on the rocks an' the snow,An' the wind is as thin as a whip-lashwhat carries away to the plainsThe rattle an' stamp o' the lead-mules—the jinglety-jink o' the chains—'Tss! 'Tss!For you all love the screw-guns...There's a wheel on the Horns o' the Mornin',an' a wheel on the edge o' the Pit,An' a drop into nothin' beneath you as straight as a beggar can spit:With the sweat runnin' out o' your shirt-sleeves,an' the sun off the snow in your face,An' 'arf o' the men on the drag-ropesto hold the old gun in 'er place—'Tss! 'Tss!For you all love the screw-guns...Smokin' my pipe on the mountings,sniffin' the mornin' cool,I climbs in my old brown gaitersalong o' my old brown mule.The monkey can say what our road was—the wild-goat 'e knows where we passed.Stand easy, you long-eared old darlin's!Out drag-ropes! With shrapnel! Hold fast—'Tss! 'Tss!For you all love the screw-guns—the screw-guns they all loveyou!So when we take tea with a few guns,o' course you will know what to do—hoo! hoo!Jest send in your Chief an' surrender—it's worse if you fights or you runs:You may hide in the caves, they'll be only your graves,but you can't get away from the guns!
You may talk o' gin and beerWhen you're quartered safe out 'ere,An' you're sent to penny-fights an' Aldershot it;But when it comes to slaughterYou will do your work on water,An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it.Now in Injia's sunny clime,Where I used to spend my timeA-servin' of 'Er Majesty the Queen,Of all them blackfaced crewThe finest man I knewWas our regimental bhisti, Gunga Din.He was “Din! Din! Din!You limpin' lump o' brick-dust, Gunga Din!Hi! slippy hitherao!Water, get it! Panee lao!1You squidgy-nosed old idol, Gunga Din.”The uniform 'e woreWas nothin' much before,An' rather less than 'arf o' that be'ind,For a piece o' twisty ragAn' a goatskin water-bagWas all the field-equipment 'e could find.When the sweatin' troop-train layIn a sidin' through the day,Where the 'eat would make your bloomin' eyebrows crawl,We shouted “Harry By!” 2Till our throats were bricky-dry,Then we wopped 'im 'cause 'e couldn't serve us all.It was “Din! Din! Din!You 'eathen, where the mischief 'ave you been?You put some juldee 3 in itOr I'll marrow 4 you this minuteIf you don't fill up my helmet, Gunga Din!”'E would dot an' carry oneTill the longest day was done;An' 'e didn't seem to know the use o' fear.If we charged or broke or cut,You could bet your bloomin' nut,'E'd be waitin' fifty paces right flank rear.With 'is mussick 5 on 'is back,'E would skip with our attack,An' watch us till the bugles made “Retire”,An' for all 'is dirty 'ide'E was white, clear white, insideWhen 'e went to tend the wounded under fire!It was “Din! Din! Din!”With the bullets kickin' dust-spots on the green.When the cartridges ran out,You could hear the front-files shout,“Hi! ammunition-mules an' Gunga Din!”I shan't forgit the nightWhen I dropped be'ind the fightWith a bullet where my belt-plate should 'a' been.I was chokin' mad with thirst,An' the man that spied me firstWas our good old grinnin', gruntin' Gunga Din.'E lifted up my 'ead,An' he plugged me where I bled,An' 'e guv me 'arf-a-pint o' water-green:It was crawlin' and it stunk,But of all the drinks I've drunk,I'm gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.It was “Din! Din! Din!'Ere's a beggar with a bullet through 'is spleen;'E's chawin' up the ground,An' 'e's kickin' all around:For Gawd's sake git the water, Gunga Din!”'E carried me awayTo where a dooli lay,An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.'E put me safe inside,An' just before 'e died,“I 'ope you liked your drink”, sez Gunga Din.So I'll meet 'im later onAt the place where 'e is gone—Where it's always double drill and no canteen;'E'll be squattin' on the coalsGivin' drink to poor damned souls,An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!Yes, Din! Din! Din!You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!Though I've belted you and flayed you,By the livin' Gawd that made you,You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!1 Bring water swiftly.2 Mr Atkins' equivalent for “O Brother.”3 Hit you.4 Be quick.5 Water skin.
(Northern India Transport Train)Wot makes the soldier's 'eart to @penk, wot makes 'im to perspire?It isn't standin' up to charge nor lyin' down to fire;But it's everlastin' waitin' on a everlastin' roadFor the commissariat camel an' 'is commissariat load.O the oont, 1 O the oont, O the commissariat oont!With 'is silly neck a-bobbin' like a basket full o' snakes;We packs 'im like an idol, an' you ought to 'ear 'im grunt,An' when we gets 'im loaded up 'is blessed girth-rope breaks.Wot makes the rear-guard swear so 'ard when night is drorin' in,An' every native follower is shiverin' for 'is skin?It ain't the chanst o' being rushed by Paythans from the 'ills,It's the commissariat camel puttin' on 'is bloomin' frills!O the oont, O the oont, O the hairy scary oont!A-trippin' over tent-ropes when we've got the night alarm!We socks 'im with a stretcher-pole an' 'eads 'im off in front,An' when we've saved 'is bloomin' life 'e chaws our bloomin' arm.The 'orse 'e knows above a bit, the bullock's but a fool,The elephant's a gentleman, the battery-mule's a mule;But the commissariat cam-u-el, when all is said an' done,'E's a devil an' a ostrich an' a orphan-child in one.O the oont, O the oont, O the Gawd-forsaken oont!The lumpy-'umpy 'ummin'-bird a-singin' where 'e lies,'E's blocked the whole division from the rear-guard to the front,An' when we get him up again—the beggar goes an' dies!'E'll gall an' chafe an' lame an' fight—'e smells most awful vile;'E'll lose 'isself for ever if you let 'im stray a mile;'E's game to graze the 'ole day long an' 'owl the 'ole night through,An' when 'e comes to greasy ground 'e splits 'isself in two.O the oont, O the oont, O the floppin', droppin' oont!When 'is long legs give from under an' 'is meltin' eye is dim,The tribes is up be'ind us, and the tribes is out in front—It ain't no jam for Tommy, but it's kites an' crows for 'im.So when the cruel march is done, an' when the roads is blind,An' when we sees the camp in front an' 'ears the shots be'ind,Ho! then we strips 'is saddle off, and all 'is woes is past:'E thinks on us that used 'im so, and gets revenge at last.O the oont, O the oont, O the floatin', bloatin' oont!The late lamented camel in the water-cut 'e lies;We keeps a mile be'ind 'im an' we keeps a mile in front,But 'e gets into the drinkin'-casks, and then o' course we dies.1Camel—oo is pronounced like u in “bull,” but by Mr. Atkins torhyme with “front.”
If you've ever stole a pheasant-egg be'ind the keeper's back,If you've ever snigged the washin' from the line,If you've ever crammed a gander in your bloomin' 'aversack,You will understand this little song o' mine.But the service rules are 'ard, an' from such we are debarred,For the same with English morals does not suit.(Cornet: Toot! toot!)W'y, they call a man a robber if 'e stuffs 'is marchin' clobberWith the—(Chorus) Loo! loo! Lulu! lulu! Loo! loo! Loot! loot! loot!Ow the loot!Bloomin' loot!That's the thing to make the boys git up an' shoot!It's the same with dogs an' men,If you'd make 'em come againClap 'em forward with a Loo! loo! Lulu! Loot!(ff) Whoopee! Tear 'im, puppy! Loo! loo! Lulu! Loot! loot! loot!If you've knocked a nigger edgeways when 'e's thrustin' for your life,You must leave 'im very careful where 'e fell;An' may thank your stars an' gaiters if you didn't feel 'is knifeThat you ain't told off to bury 'im as well.Then the sweatin' Tommies wonder as they spade the beggars underWhy lootin' should be entered as a crime;So if my song you'll 'ear, I will learn you plain an' clear'Ow to pay yourself for fightin' overtime.(Chorus) With the loot,...Now remember when you're 'acking round a gilded Burma godThat 'is eyes is very often precious stones;An' if you treat a nigger to a dose o' cleanin'-rod'E's like to show you everything 'e owns.When 'e won't prodooce no more, pour some water on the floorWhere you 'ear it answer 'ollow to the boot(Cornet: Toot! toot!)—When the ground begins to sink, shove your baynick down the chink,An' you're sure to touch the—(Chorus) Loo! loo! Lulu! Loot! loot! loot!Ow the loot!...When from 'ouse to 'ouse you're 'unting, you must always work in pairs—It 'alves the gain, but safer you will find—For a single man gets bottled on them twisty-wisty stairs,An' a woman comes and clobs 'im from be'ind.When you've turned 'em inside out, an' it seems beyond a doubtAs if there weren't enough to dust a flute(Cornet: Toot! toot!)—Before you sling your 'ook, at the 'ousetops take a look,For it's underneath the tiles they 'ide the loot.(Chorus) Ow the loot!...You can mostly square a Sergint an' a Quartermaster too,If you only take the proper way to go;I could never keep my pickin's, but I've learned you all I knew—An' don't you never say I told you so.An' now I'll bid good-bye, for I'm gettin' rather dry,An' I see another tunin' up to toot(Cornet: Toot! toot!)—So 'ere's good-luck to those that wears the Widow's clo'es,An' the Devil send 'em all they want o' loot!(Chorus) Yes, the loot,Bloomin' loot!In the tunic an' the mess-tin an' the boot!It's the same with dogs an' men,If you'd make 'em come again(fff) Whoop 'em forward with a Loo! loo! Lulu! Loot! loot! loot!Heeya! Sick 'im, puppy! Loo! loo! Lulu! Loot! loot! loot!
This 'appened in a battle to a batt'ry of the corpsWhich is first among the women an' amazin' first in war;An' what the bloomin' battle was I don't remember now,But Two's off-lead 'e answered to the name o' Snarleyow.Down in the Infantry, nobody cares;Down in the Cavalry, Colonel 'e swears;But down in the lead with the wheel at the flogTurns the bold Bombardier to a little whipped dog!They was movin' into action, they was needed very sore,To learn a little schoolin' to a native army corps,They 'ad nipped against an uphill, they was tuckin' down the brow,When a tricky, trundlin' roundshot give the knock to Snarleyow.They cut 'im loose an' left 'im—'e was almost tore in two—But he tried to follow after as a well-trained 'orse should do;'E went an' fouled the limber, an' the Driver's Brother squeals:“Pull up, pull up for Snarleyow—'is head's between 'is 'eels!”The Driver 'umped 'is shoulder, for the wheels was goin' round,An' there ain't no “Stop, conductor!” when a batt'ry's changin' ground;Sez 'e: “I broke the beggar in, an' very sad I feels,But I couldn't pull up, not for you—your 'ead between your 'eels!”'E 'adn't 'ardly spoke the word, before a droppin' shellA little right the batt'ry an' between the sections fell;An' when the smoke 'ad cleared away, before the limber wheels,There lay the Driver's Brother with 'is 'ead between 'is 'eels.Then sez the Driver's Brother, an' 'is words was very plain,“For Gawd's own sake get over me, an' put me out o' pain.”They saw 'is wounds was mortial, an' they judged that it was best,So they took an' drove the limber straight across 'is back an' chest.The Driver 'e give nothin' 'cept a little coughin' grunt,But 'e swung 'is 'orses 'andsome when it came to “Action Front!”An' if one wheel was juicy, you may lay your Monday head'Twas juicier for the niggers when the case begun to spread.The moril of this story, it is plainly to be seen:You 'avn't got no families when servin' of the Queen—You 'avn't got no brothers, fathers, sisters, wives, or sons—If you want to win your battles take an' work your bloomin' guns!Down in the Infantry, nobody cares;Down in the Cavalry, Colonel 'e swears;But down in the lead with the wheel at the flogTurns the bold Bombardier to a little whipped dog!