I fought in a war and I left my friends behind me To go looking for the enemy, and it wasn't very long Before I would stand with another boy in front of me And a corpse that just fell into me, with the bullets flying round And I reminded myself of the words you said when we were getting on And I bet you're making shells back home for a steady boy to wear Round his neck, well it won't hurt to think of you as if you're waiting for This letter to arrive because I'll be here quite a while I fought in a war and I left my friends behind me To go looking for the enemy, and it wasn't very long Before I found out that the sickness there ahead of me Went beyond the bedsit infamy of the decade gone before And I reminded myself of the words you said when we were getting on And I bet you're making shells back home for a steady man to wear Round his neck, well it won't hurt to think of you as if you're waiting for This letter to arrive because I'll be here quite a while I fought in a war, and I didn't know where it would end It stretched before me infinitely, I couldn't really think Of the day beyond now, keep your head down pal There's trouble plenty in this hour, this day I can see hope I can see light And I reminded myself of the looks you gave when we were getting on And I bet you're making shells back home for a steady man to wear Round his neck, well it won't hurt to think of you as if you're waiting for This letter to arrive because I'll be here quite a while