In a station
in the city
a British soldier stood
Talking to the people there
if the people would
Some just stared in hatred,
and others turned in pain
And the lonely British soldier wished
he was back home again
Come join the British Army! said
the posters in his town
See the world and have your fun,
come serve before the Crown
The jobs were hard to come by
and he could not face the dole
So he took his country's shilling
and enlisted on the roll
For there was no fear of fighting,
the Empire long was lost
Just ten years in the army getting
paid for being bossed
Then leave a man experienced a man
who's made the grade
A medal and a pension,
some mem'ries and a trade
Then came the call to Ireland as
the call had came before
Another bloody chapter in
an endless civil war
The priests they stood on both sides
the priests they stood behind
Another fight in Jesus's name
the blind against the blind
The soldier stood between them,
between the whistling stones
And then the broken bottles
that led to broken bones
The petrol bombs that burnt his hands
the nails that pierced his skin
And now wished that he'd stayed
at home surrounded by his kin
The station filled with people the sol
dier soon was bored
But better in the station than where
the people warred
The room filled up with mothers
with daughters and with sons
Who stared with itchy fingers at
the soldier and his gun
A yell of fear a screech of brakes
the shattering of glass
The window of the station broke to
let the package pass
A scream came from the mothers as
they ran towards the door
Dragging children crying from
the bomb upon the floor
The soldier stood and could not move
his gun he could not use
He knew the bomb had seconds and
not minutes on the fuse
He could not run to pick it up
and throw it in the street
There were far too many people there,
too many running feet
Take cover! yelled the soldier,
Take cover for your lives
And the Ir ishmen threw down their young
and stood before their wives
They turned towards the soldier,
their eyes alive with fear
For God's sake save our children or they'll
en d their short lives here
The soldier moved towards the bomb
his stomach like a stone
Why was this his battle God
why was he alone
He lay down on the package and he mur
mured one farewell
To those at home in England
to those he loved so well
He saw the sights of summer felt the
wind upon his brow
The young girls in the city parks how pre
cious were they now
The soaring of the swallow the beau
ty of the swan
The music of the turning world so
soon would it be gone
A muffled soft explosion and
the room began to quake
The soldier blown across the floor
his blood a crimson lake
They never heard him cry or shout
they never heard him moan
And they turned their children's faces from
the blood and from the bones
The crowd outside soon gathered
and the ambulances came
To carry off the body of a pawn
lost to the game
And the crowd they clapped and cheered
and they sang their rebel songs
One soldier less to interfere
where he did not belong
But will the children growing up learn
at their mothers' knees
The story of that soldier who
bought their liberty
Who used his youthful body as a
means towards the end
Who gave his life to those who
called him murderer not friend