by Percy Hugh Beverley Lyon (1893 - 1986)
The Company Sergeant‑Major
Language: English
The R.S.M. has a fancy chest, And swank enough for thirty, But tho’ at times ‘e can yarn with the best, ‘E’s inclined to turn up shirty; But the man who can give and take a joke, An out an out rampager, Is that workin’, worritin’, cussin’ old bloke, The Company Sergeant-Major! ‘Quarters’ works till the dawn is grey, And juggles ‘is figures neatly, But a regular knock-down east-wind day Will jigger ‘im up completely; But the fellow as strong as a blinkin’ ox, And as tough, tho’ a trifle sager, Is that ‘oly terror of weak-kneed crocks, The Company Sergeant-Major! The officers read their little red books, (or don’t, as the case may be, sir), But isn’t to them that the Captain looks, When he feels ‘e’s up a tree, sir. When ‘e’s turned the company inside out, I’m ready to lay a wager, ‘E’ll flick ‘is boots with ‘is cane and shout – “Carry on, Sergeant-Major!” But it’s not at ‘ome in the barrack square That the stuff in the lads is tellin’, But in the distant lands ‘way over there, When the enemy’s started shellin’; And wherever the mud and the shells are thick, You’ll find that jolly old stager, That fear nothing, scallywag, son of ole Nick, The Company Sergeant-Major!
Authorship:
- by Percy Hugh Beverley Lyon (1893 - 1986), "The Company Sergeant-Major", first published c1918 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Wilfred Sanderson (1878 - 1935), "The Company Sergeant-Major" [voice and piano] [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson
This text was added to the website: 2016-05-17
Line count: 32
Word count: 214