At the blow of the whistle

Quickly over the top 

Move slowly forward

Just don't stop.

It's just a little stroll

No need to rush

This is really

Just a little push
 

Our guns have cleared 

The way ahead

A piece of cake really

All the enemy are dead.

But nobody knew

Their trenches were so deep

Scarcely a causality from 

Our drop short’s forward creep.

They cut us to pieces
With machine gun fire

Cut us down before

We could reach their wire

Very many of us

Didn't get back

From that flawed

Plan of attack.

I crawled there 

A lucky one 

So many pals

Wounded or gone

 Will this battle

Ever stop

Will I have the nerve 

To climb back over the top.
 

When a Rupert flops

The price of his sin

Back off to Blighty

And the looney bin.

But for a squaddie

Very different rules

They really must think

We are unthinking fools
 

So it's over the top

Or that loneliest of place

Tied to the stake

 A Firing squad to face

Fortune comes and 

Fortune goes

Life is just a lottery

When the whistle blows.

Nobody knows

So they say 

How many we lost

On that first day.

So we take our chance

For nobody knows

Who'll live or die

When that whistle blows