by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)
Boots
Language: English
We're foot -- slog -- slog -- slog -- sloggin' over Africa -- Foot -- foot -- foot -- foot -- sloggin' over Africa -- (Boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again!) There's no discharge in the war! Seven -- six -- eleven -- five -- nine-an'-twenty mile to-day -- Four -- eleven -- seventeen -- thirty-two the day before -- (Boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again!) There's no discharge in the war! Don't -- don't -- don't -- don't -- look at what's in front of you. (Boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again); Men -- men -- men -- men -- men go mad with watchin' em, An' there's no discharge in the war! Try -- try -- try -- try -- to think o' something different -- Oh -- my -- God -- keep -- me from goin' lunatic! (Boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again!) There's no discharge in the war! Count -- count -- count -- count -- the bullets in the bandoliers. If -- your -- eyes -- drop -- they will get atop o' you! (Boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again) -- There's no discharge in the war! We -- can -- stick -- out -- 'unger, thirst, an' weariness, But -- not -- not -- not -- not the chronic sight of 'em -- Boot -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again, An' there's no discharge in the war! 'Taint -- so -- bad -- by -- day because o' company, But night -- brings -- long -- strings -- o' forty thousand million Boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again. There's no discharge in the war! I -- 'ave -- marched -- six -- weeks in 'Ell an' certify It -- is -- not -- fire -- devils, dark, or anything, But boots -- boots -- boots -- boots -- movin' up an' down again, An' there's no discharge in the war!
Authorship:
- by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936), "Boots", appears in The Five Nations, first published 1903 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Peter Dawson (1882 - ?), as J. P. McCall, "Boots", published 1928. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
- by Hazel H. S. Felman , "Boots", published 1916. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
- by Robert S. Flagler (1890 - 1935), "Boots", published 1936. [chorus] [text not verified]
- by John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932), "Boots", published 1916. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-07
Line count: 32
Word count: 262