Dieppe Raid : A Poem
Young men across the sea
Motherland yes! But not their country.
A mother! A farther! across the sea?
A young wife there waiting for thee?
Perhaps a young girl, who you called friend!
You had her picture you looked at now and then.
But no hand to hold, the picture was cold, not like the hand you used to hold.
They laughed, they played, they cried some days,
not unlike you and me these young lads across the sea.
They had been to the circus, what a strange sight indeed, not an animal there to see.
They had been to Dover but wanted it over, for it was home where they wanted to be.
The butcher, the baker, the farmer's son,
the doctor, the lawyer, the preacher's son,
everyone a mother's son. Not unlike you and me,
but in a far away land across the sea.
5000 young lads began the attack, 907 would never come back.
907 died for thee, 907 that we might live free.
907 not fourteen, 907 but mere teens.
907 with tears not seen, 907 not fourteen.
The Spiral of Hate is so obscene.
5000 began the attack, 907 never came back.
They gave their lives so readily that you and I might live free.
In future would there be, such lads as these
who would give so much that we might live free?
And the boots were told to march,
one step forward, not one back
one sept forward, they began the attack.
They could not run for at the end there would be fighting to be done.
One step forward, a friend hit, Why!
One sept forward, would that friend die?
One step forward, one must pass him by.
One step forward through the screams of friends,
and they thought Oh! God please! let there not be a mine waiting for me.
One step forward, a friend torn clear to the thigh.
One step forward, they must pass him by.
One step forward through this man made hell
would future generations do as well?
One step forward, never one back
one step forward they pressed the attack.
One step forward they walked the beach
only to find a machine gun there to greet,
several more friends cut down.
One step forward life passed death by.
One step forward through satan's game of Hate
God said Love! satan said NO!
Onward, onward through the Spiral of Hate they go
One step forward trough the Spiral of Hate,
the spiral that was stopped far too late.
The four horsemen waiting there,
see them prance! see the nostrils flare!
the four horsemen will get their chance
when satan calls, and we dance.
Ride! horsemen, Ride! Spurred on by Hate,
before you are through would be the death of six million Jews.
They could not go to ground
One step forward amidst the artillery rounds.
One step forward passed the parts of friends.
In future would there be such boys as these
who would give so much for liberty.
One step forward, why must there be
such a price to pay for liberty?
One step forward to the center of town
once there to be turned around
for it was just a raid, there for the day, 907 would pass away.
Where! Oh where, is the glory of war?
There is no glory it is but a whore
907 would be no more.
What did they learn that terrible day
that they had not learned so long ago.
"into the valley of death road the 600"
What did they learn, but young men must die
when artillery and mortar fall from the sky.
What they learned was from Mr X,
that deception was by far the best.
The four horsemen waiting there,
see them prance! see the nostrils flare!
for satan will call, we will dance
the horsemen know they will get their chance.
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/goldens/diep.htm