Ewan McLennan - Joe Glenton lyrics

He joined the forces when he was young And fell right into their hands The story was spun, a steady wage and adventures Fighting terror in foreign lands This life of a soldier it thrilled and enticed him As no other job had done He'd read and was told of the beauty of freedom That's spread by our planes and our guns After two years of service in Colchester barracks Transporting bullets and shells Through the ranks ran a murmur as the orders were given The excitement rose and it fell But as they descended to Kandahar city A grim silence fell over the plane Shots of the mortars rang in the distance Like threats from the sky turning grey Chorus: Joe Glenton, he has been sentenced For refusing to fight and to k** The sharp eyes of the judge and the cold cuffs were on him As he was led away to the cell The days and the weeks stumbled into each other The months were soon pa**ing him by The only thing leaving the compound were coffins And rockets tore through the night sky Reports came daily of villages bombed To frighten insurgents away Reports came daily of villages bombed Only bones and ashes remained While these embers were smouldering the story unfolding Led him to question the cause All we have brought here and all we will leave Are the scars and the tissues of war And as their mission drew to a close He vowed that he'd never return He told his captain who threatened and screamed That these thoughts were not a soldiers concern Chorus: Joe Glenton, he has been sentenced For refusing to fight and to k** The sharp eyes of the judge and the cold cuffs were on him As he was led away to the cell On returning home he was faced with a choice To resist or return to the front But the villagers' cries and the generals' lies He'd made up his mind to confront And on the day he walked out of the barracks To the squaddies shouts of support In the face of treason he laid down his reason And threw off the terrors of war Soon the military tried to throw him in jail And banned him from speaking his mind But Joe Glenton continued to follow his conscious Through the sharp days, the grit and grind Armed with only his story and all he had witnessed He travelled and gave his account Under threat of arrest as he rose to address The crowds soon gathered around Chorus: Joe Glenton, he has been sentenced For refusing to fight and to k** The sharp eyes of the judge and the cold cuffs were on him As he was led away to the cell After months of dispute and hounding pursuit They caught him and brought him to trial The judge rose to address the military court And sentenced Joe Glenton to jail No medals or crosses of gold or of bronze Are pinned to Joe Glenton's lapel No handshakes or service for his courage and conscience Instead condemned to rebel So he's served his time to the prison clock's chime Of nine months that were buried and gone Back out on the streets, unrepentant, unbroken Still determined to take the fight on He wasn't the first and he won't be the last To stand up and utter those tones Still the words of a rebel shake and unnerve them As other young soldiers look on Chorus: Joe Glenton, he has been sentenced For refusing to fight and to k** The sharp eyes of the judge and the cold cuffs were on him As he was led away to the cell Joe Glenton, he was sentenced But the criminals dance free today They were many before him, there'll be many after Who question instead of obey