The Young British Soldier by Rudyard Kipling
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James Marinero favourite poetry - The Young British Soldier by Rudyard Kipling
James Marinero Poetry The Young British Soldier Rudyard Kipling
 the young british soldier rudyard kipling the advice in this poem is still apposite today, sadly here we are, a hundred years after this was written, still losing our boys on afghanistan s plains will we ever learn i quoted the last verse in gate of tears kipling s barrack room ballads from which this work is taken are so acute - read tommy or gunga din as a follow on by the way, a martini here is not a cocktail - it s a stand-mounted machine gun enjoy the young british soldier when the arf-made recruity goes out to the east e acts like a babe an e drinks like a beast, an e wonders because e is frequent deceased ere e s fit for to serve as a soldier serve, serve, serve as a soldier, serve, serve, serve as a soldier, serve, serve, serve as a soldier, so-oldier of the queen now all you recruities what s drafted to-day, you shut up your rag-box an ark to my lay, an i ll sing you a soldier as far as i may a soldier what s fit for a soldier fit, fit, fit for a soldier first mind you steer clear o the grog-sellers huts, for they sell you fixed bay nets that rots out your guts - ay, drink that ud eat the live steel from your butts - an it s bad for the young british soldier bad, bad, bad for the soldier when the cholera comes - as it will past a doubt - keep out of the wet and don t go on the shout, for the sickness gets in as the liquor dies out, an it crumples the young british soldier crum-, crum-, crumples the soldier but the worst o your foes is the sun over ead you must wear your elmet for all that is said if e finds you uncovered e ll knock you down dead, an you ll die like a fool of a soldier fool, fool, fool of a soldier if you re cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind, don t grouse like a woman nor crack on nor blind be handy and civil, and then you will find that it s beer for the young british soldier beer, beer, beer for the soldier now, if you must marry, take care she is old - a troop-sergeant s widow s the nicest i m told, for beauty won t help if your rations is cold, nor love ain t enough for a soldier nough, nough, nough for a soldier if the wife should go wrong with a comrade, be loath to shoot when you catch em - you ll swing, on my oath - make im take er and keep er that s hell for them both, an you re shut o the curse of a soldier curse, curse, curse of a soldier when first under fire an you re wishful to duck, don t look nor take eed at the man that is struck, be thankful you re livin , and trust to your luck and march to your front like a soldier front, front, front like a soldier when arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch, don t call your martini a cross-eyed old bitch she s human as you are - you treat her as sich, an she ll fight for the young british soldier fight, fight, fight for the soldier when shakin their bustles like ladies so fine, the guns o the enemy wheel into line, shoot low at the limbers an don t mind the shine, for noise never startles the soldier start-, start-, startles the soldier if your officer s dead and the sergeants look white, remember it s ruin to run from a fight so take open order, lie down, and sit tight, and wait for supports like a soldier wait, wait, wait like a soldier when you re wounded and left on afghanistan s plains, and the women come out to cut up what remains, jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains an go to your gawd like a soldier go, go, go like a soldier, go, go, go like a soldier, go, go, go like a soldier, so-oldier of the queen