Tommy became a Tommy
In 1914
The boy with a crewcut
And a million dreams.
Fresh faced and spotty
Mischeviously poor
Hard man for a father
Tears for mother.
Four years in the dark
A hell hacking out coal
Long shifts for a pittance
To survive is the goal
Pay each debtor
Who knocks at the door
A few pints after graft
To wash away the coal tar.
France was an unreal
To a boy from the pit
Cheap brandy down his throat
Scrambling from the guts and the spit.
To fire that rifle
Not too straight not too wide
Kill a German a day
Make the sergeant smile.
One day from the trench
More drunk than afraid
Tommy became a Tommy
Spotty fresh faced.
The bullet hit clean
No time to recall
A boys love of life
Only one more to fall.