I Died On My Birthday In A Field In Flanders

It was a glorious charge on that warm September day
A battalion of men from Essex were ordered to clear the way
Red poppies bloomed in the warmth of the Belgian sun
Muddy water formed in craters made by the big German guns
The captain stood up, high, mighty and proud
Looking at his company, a motley little crowd
We gathered together in the woods and brush
Ready for the whistle to sound our gallant rush
The captain said, "Make ready on the count of ten"
I dropped my head and prayed for my sins
I was a young lad, with hopes and dreams
To marry my sweetheart when we returned home redeemed
I looked to my chaps on my left and my right
How many of them will I see when we're through with the fight?
The artillery stopped, the guns were hushed
Time for the infantry to make the gallant rush
The captain blew his whistle, "Forward for Country and King"
We rushed out of the woods, without saying a thing
I held my Enfield close to my chest
My breathing ragged, I was scared to death
We walked slowly over the mud and grass
Ready for the Heinies to open up with brass
A rifle snapped, flesh was torn
A man screamed and was no more
The machine guns opened up
Without remorse
Boys from Essex began to fall
Screams of pain so loud and coarse
Shells burst and tore through men
My captain was one of them
Body torn limb from limb
We kept moving, over the flat ground
"Keep going!" I screamed. "We have to turn this fight around!"
My thoughts returned to home
And my lovely Irish lass
Her hair deep red
And blue eyes to match
I thought of the hills of Essex
Rolling and full of grain
Of the days me and my girl chased each other
Through the pouring rain
My walk came to a halt
A sharp blow made me ask "What?"
Then the blood began to flow
From the hole torn through my gut
My breath began to fade
Lights all going dim
The sounds of battle fading to an all but deafening din
I fell to my knees, rifle falling away
I saw the last man up ahead
His bloody body did lay
I saw the enemy trenches, our attack's main goal
Germans jeered and clapped
At the lost of many a soul
I cried for my mother and girl, for my father and chaps
I would never see them again
Until Judgment Day came at last
Now, I wander through streets of gold
Laughing and joking with friend and foe
But the day I died will always be with me
Until the trumpet sounds and my family and friends I see
I turned eighteen on that bloody and awful day
Eighteen I turned...In a field where my body lay
Don't shed any tears for me
For I'm in the best of company
God bless those who fight for what's right
May they finally remove evil
And restore the Earth's light.