THE DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY
When I was but a young lad I hewed coal below this land
With a pick across me shoulder or a shovel in me hand
But then the Great War came and a spirit of adventure grew
While the posters in the street said "Your Country Needs You!”
Your country needs you!
I knew then what I must do
I lined up to volunteer for a soldier's bloody wage
I strode up to the desk and boldly lied about me age
They gave me a serge uniform of ‘Kitchener Blue’
Flags waved, brass bands played and huge crowds cheered too
But no-one really knew just what we’d gotten ourselves into
So we're off my boys through the hell and the noise
To die for our country
And they’ll raise a cross to remember the loss
Of the Durham Light Infantry
In the muddy fields of Flanders we fought like men from Hell
As the ground itself was ripped apart where all me best mates fell
The lad right next to me took a bullet to the head
And in all that hell and madness I wished that I was dead
As the sky wept tears of lead, while the ‘Faithful Durhams’ bled
We buried all our dead, at least those that could be found
As well as bits of bodies that were scattered all around
And it made me sick with anger at the things the War had done
But when one campaign was over they gave us another one
So I still kept marching on though all my mates were dead and gone
So we're off my boys through the hell and the noise
To die for our country
And they’ll raise a cross to remember the loss
Of the Durham Light Infantry
Let there be no songs of victory upon Armistice Day
For the pathos of the poets can never wash the stains away
And with the Pawns of War the Masters never will be done
So the ‘Dirty Little Imps’ will still be called upon
Once this ‘War To End All Wars’ is won, to fight on and on and on
So we're off my boys through the hell and the noise
To die for our country
And they’ll raise a cross to remember the loss
Of the Durham Light Infantry
(Gary Miller) Original version © 1989 Whippet Records Revised version © 2017 Whippet Records Copyright Control MCPS/PRS
Dedicated with respect to the memory of all the members of the Durham Light Infantry who appear in these accompanying images Performed by Gary Miller www.garymillersongs.com & Ferryhill Town Band www.ferryhilltownband.org.uk Written and Composed by Gary Miller www.garymillersongs.com Brass Arranegment by Iain Petrie Musical Score by Sam Lord & Iain Petire Produced and Engineered by Iain Petrie www.awakemusic.co.uk Illustrations by Helen Temperley. Gary Miller & Ferryhill Town Band 'The Durham Light Infantry' CD/Download Single (cat. no. WPTCD26) available now on Whippet Records www.whippetrecords.com Taken from the album 'From Coalfield to Battlefield' Coming soon on Whippet Records www.whippetrecords.com