by Siegfried Lorraine Sassoon (1886 - 1967)

Language: English 
If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
  I’d live with scarlet Majors at the Base,
And speed glum heroes up the line to death.
  You’d see me with my puffy petulant face,
Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel,
  Reading the Roll of Honour. ‘Poor young chap,’
I’d say—‘I used to know his father well;
  Yes, we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap.’
And when the war is done and youth stone dead,
I’d toddle safely home and die — in bed.

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Composition:

    Set to music by Michael Ippolito (b. 1985), "Base Details", 2006, first performed 2006 [ baritone, SATB quartet or SATB chorus, flute or piccolo, trumpet, percussion, organ, and piano ], from Songbook of the War, no. 6, confirmed with a score

Text Authorship:

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Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-08-31
Line count: 10
Word count: 85