1917

The strange young man who comes to me a soldier on a three day spree

He needs one night's cheap ecstasy and a woman's arms to hide him

He greets me with a courtly bow and hides his pain by acting proud

He drinks too much and he laughs too loud how can I deny him

Let us dance beneath the moon I'll sing to you Claire de Lune

The morning always comes too soon but tonight the war is over

He speaks to me in schoolboy French of a soldier's life inside a trench

Of the look of death and the ghastly stench I do my best to please him

He puts two roses in a vase two roses sadly out of place

Like the gallant smile on his haggard face playfully I tease him

Hold me neath the Paris skies let's not talk of how or why

Tomorrow's soon enough to die but tonight the war is over

We make love too hard too fast he falls asleep his face a mask

He wakes with the shakes and he drinks from his flask I put my arms around him

They die in the trenches and they die in the air

In Belguim and France the dead are everywhere

They die so fast there's no time to prepare a decent grave to surround them

Old world glory old world fame the old world's gone gone up in flames

Nothing will ever be the same and nothing lasts forever

Oh I'd pray for him but I've forgotten how

And there's nothing nothing that can save him now

There's always another with the same funny bow and who am I to deny them

Lux aeterna Luce-at e-is domine cum sanctic tu-is in aeternum

Qui-a pius es requiem aeternaum dona e-is Domine

Qui-a pius es requiem aeternaum dona e-is Domine

Qui-a pius es et lux perpetua luce-at- e-is Cum sancris tu-is in

Aeternum qui-api-us es tonight the war is over