Ho! they ain't no limpin procrastitutes—soldier an' sailor too!
You may say we are fond of an 'arness cut or 'ootin' in barrick-yards,
Or startin' a Board School mutiny along o' the Onion Guards;
But once in a while we can finish in style for the ends of the earth to view,
The same as the Jollies—'er Majesty's Jollies—soldier an' sailor too.
They come of our lot, they was brothers to us, they was beggars we'd met and knew;
Yes, barrin' an inch in the chest an' the arms, they was doubles o' me and you,
For they weren't no special chrysanthemums—soldier an' sailor too.
To take your chance in the thick of a rush with firing all about
Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and, and leave an' likin' to shout;