Kris Kristofferson
Lyric guide

Rescue Mission

Read Rescue Mission lyrics by Kris Kristofferson on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Kris Kristofferson visibility1 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Kris Kristofferson Canonical path: /kris-kristofferson/rescue-mission Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Rescue Mission

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

The captain touched his swagger stick

Up to his golden eye

And boogied through the vestibule

While bidding us goodbye

The enemy surrounds us

And our spirits almost gone

The devil take the cavalry

That sold us for a song

There's chi-chi's on the starboard, lads

And chi-chi's in the stern

And hashish in the hookah pipes

And bonny grass to burn

Our mission is a secret

But we're fool enough to try

We'll sail the bloody ocean, boys

Or drink the bastard dry

If i'd've been a carpenter, the swarthy

Sergeant said

I'd never seen this ugly thing

That hangs above my head

The hell with all your heros

And the wounds they hope to show

I'm just a simple soldier, son

With one more year to go

The albatross was tiring

And the cook was in a stew

The filthy little cabin boy

Was whizzing in my shoe

The captain's wife was aging

And the first mate heard her scream

When tommy slipped tabasco in the

Captain's vaseline

Our time will soon be gone, he said

It's all we've left to lose

We've shot our ammunition

And we're all but out of booze

So here's to irma donegal

Here's to nellie blye

And here's to my old friend, he said

And kissed his ass goodbye

Give off! give off! you sorry lot.

Give off!, the captain cried

We've lost our bloody anchor

And we're driftin' with the tide

The swollen surf is pounding

Like a thousand cannons roar

And I shake the hand of any man

Who guides us into shore.

We're saved! we're saved!

The soldiers said

We're saved!, the sailors cried

And soldiers climbed aboard

While sailors left from either side

Some swabbies hit the minefield and

The rifles got the rest

And somewhere there's a schooner

Sinkin' slowly in the west

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Rescue Mission"?

Kris Kristofferson performs "Rescue Mission", and this lyric page sits inside the Kris Kristofferson catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Rescue Mission"?

Yes. The related section below points to Eye Of The Storm and Shake Hands With The Devil with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Kris Kristofferson?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Kris Kristofferson's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Rescue Mission yet.