As I was walking down the road
A feeling fine and larky oh
A recruiting
sergeant came up to me
Says he you'd look fine in khaki oh
For the King he is in need of men
Come read this proclamation
oh
A life in Flanders for you then
Would be a fine vacation now.
That maybe so says I to him
But tell me
sergeant dearie-oh
If I had a pack stuck upon me back
Would I look fine and cheerie oh
For they'd have you train
and drill until
They had you one of Frenchies oh
It may be warm in Flanders
But it's draughty in the trenches oh.
The sergeant smiled and winked his eye
His smile was most provoking oh
He twiddled and twirled his wee moustache
Says
he: You're only joking oh
For the sandbags are so warm and high
The wind you won't feel blowing oh
Well I winked
at a cailin passing by
Says I what if it's snowing oh.
Come rain or hail or wind or snow
I'm not going out to
Flanders oh
There's fighting in Dublin to be done
Let your Sergeants and your Commanders go
Let Englishmen fight
English wars
It's nearly time they started oh
I saluted the Sergeant a very good night
And there and then we parted
oh.