Christmas 1914
Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:19 pm
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same
A true story :-
Christmas Eve 1914 by Mike Harding
Christmas Eve, 1914, stars were burning, burning bright
And all along the Western Front the guns were lying still and quiet.
And men lay dozing in the trenches, in the cold and in the dark,
And far away behind the lines, a village dog began to bark.
Some lay thinking of their families, some sang songs and others were quiet
Rolling fags and playing Brag, to pass away that Christmas night.
But as they watched the German trenches, something moved in no-man's land
And from far away there came a soldier, carrying a white flag in his hand.
Then from both sides, the men came running, crossing into no-man's land
Through the barbed wire, mud and shell-holes; shyly stood there shaking hands
Fritz brought out cigars and brandy, Tommy brought corned beef and fags
Stood there laughing, crying, singing, as the moon shone down on no-man's land
On Christmas day we all played football, in the mud of no-man's land
Tommy brought a Christmas pudding, Fritz brought out a German band
And when they beat us at the football, web shared out all the grub and drink
And Fritz showed me a faded photo of a dark-haired girl back in Berlin
For four days after, no one fired. Not one shell disturbed the night
For old Fritz and Tommy Atkins, they'd both lost the will to fight.
So they withdrew us from the trenches, sent us far behind the lines,
Sent fresh troops to take our places- ordered guns; "Prepare to fire".
And next night, in 1914, flares were burning, burning bright.
The message came, "Prepare offensive, over the top we're going tonight!"
And men stood waiting in the trenches, in the cold and in the dark,
All along the Western Front the Christmas guns began to bark.
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same
A true story :-
Christmas Eve 1914 by Mike Harding
Christmas Eve, 1914, stars were burning, burning bright
And all along the Western Front the guns were lying still and quiet.
And men lay dozing in the trenches, in the cold and in the dark,
And far away behind the lines, a village dog began to bark.
Some lay thinking of their families, some sang songs and others were quiet
Rolling fags and playing Brag, to pass away that Christmas night.
But as they watched the German trenches, something moved in no-man's land
And from far away there came a soldier, carrying a white flag in his hand.
Then from both sides, the men came running, crossing into no-man's land
Through the barbed wire, mud and shell-holes; shyly stood there shaking hands
Fritz brought out cigars and brandy, Tommy brought corned beef and fags
Stood there laughing, crying, singing, as the moon shone down on no-man's land
On Christmas day we all played football, in the mud of no-man's land
Tommy brought a Christmas pudding, Fritz brought out a German band
And when they beat us at the football, web shared out all the grub and drink
And Fritz showed me a faded photo of a dark-haired girl back in Berlin
For four days after, no one fired. Not one shell disturbed the night
For old Fritz and Tommy Atkins, they'd both lost the will to fight.
So they withdrew us from the trenches, sent us far behind the lines,
Sent fresh troops to take our places- ordered guns; "Prepare to fire".
And next night, in 1914, flares were burning, burning bright.
The message came, "Prepare offensive, over the top we're going tonight!"
And men stood waiting in the trenches, in the cold and in the dark,
All along the Western Front the Christmas guns began to bark.