Sam Sweeny - The Ballad Of Richard Howard lyrics

A yorkshire man to flanders came The mud shall be his winding sheet A 14 pounder bore his name Beyond the line at Ploegsteert It tore the skin clean from his face The mud shall be his winding sheet And let the deads head in it’s place Beyond the line at Ploegsteert It split his belly like a plum The mud shall be his winding sheet And carried him off to kingdom come Beyond the line at Ploegsteert Poor dick is damp poor dick is dead The mud shall be his winding sheet A smoking crater for his bed Beyond the line at Ploegsteert His friends unsheathed his bayonet The mud shall be his winding sheet They’ll sing his song they’ll not forget Beyond the lines at Ploegsteert They cut the windpipe from his throat The mud shall be his winding sheet The string shall sing a pretty not Beyond the line at Ploegsteert The stretched it over his messed head The mud will be his winding sheet The body of a violin As these men three the field they cut The mud will be his winding sheet And shaped the neck from a rifle bu*t Beyond the line at Ploegsteert They pulled out of his shattered leg The mud will be his winding sheet A bullet for a tuning peg Beyond the line at Ploegsteert His curving rib they cleaned with care The mud shall be his winding sheet And strung it with dead horses hair Beyond the line at Ploegsteert And when the dark of night closed in The mud shall be his winding sheet A tommy found the violin And tucked it underneath his chin And battle fury ceased its din Beyond the line at Ploegsteert He drew the bow and it sand with soul The mud shall be his winding sheet I loved the world and now it’s gone Beyond the line at Ploegsteert It sang again the day we wed The mud shall be his winding sheet Her breasts were soft and her lips were red Beyond the line at Ploegsteert It sang the wind the rain the sun The mud shall be his winding sheet And sweet rest when your work is done Beyond the line at Ploegsteert Across barbed wire the song ran clear The mud shall be his winding sheet And every soldier shared a tear Beyond the line at Ploegsteert