Kroova’s Song
Were days that long, was grass so green,
In seasons of youthful desire,
Roaming o’er seas of aquamarine,
Where westering suns drown in fire?
‘Cross mountain, forest and river,
I’d wander, carefree and bold,
Never heeding the days to come,
When I’d wake up, slow and old.
Oh, how the silent summer noon,
Warms dusty memories,
In an orchard, midst my dreams,
‘Neath verdant, shadeful trees.
Come visit me, you little ones,
Hear stories, songs and rhymes,
A roving warrior’s saga,
Of far-gone, golden times.
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Sung by Redwallers (p. 11-12)
All in the days of spring,
When flowers do bloom about,
We merrily go and sing ho ho,
Whortleberries come out.
Whortleberry, blueberry, bilberry, too,
They taste so good to me, my friend,
As they must do to you,
And yet I say to you now,
Oh what is in a name,
For whortle bil or blae sir,
The berry’s all the same.
We range the forest far, for,
There’s nobeast will deny,
Nought is half so good, ho ho,
As a whortleberry pie.
Bil whortle blae, blae whortle bil,
All around the woodlands,
Field or valley or hill,
Get ready good old cook, marm,
Stoke up your oven’s fire,
A whortleberry pie this eve,
Is my dear heart’s desire!
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Grace by Abbot Apodemus (p. 17)
Be thankful for the season,
And happy for the day,
Be grateful for the bounty,
Which comes to us this way.
Good food from the earth is grown,
And brought unto our table,
By honest toil and labour,
Let’s eat, whilst we are able!
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Sung by Kroova (p. 24-25)
Ho, I was born in a storm one winter’s morn,
When I was fat an’ tiny,
With the wind for me pa, an’ the sea for a ma,
Way out upon the briny.
Let the codfish sing with a dingaling,
An’ the crabs dance wid the shark,
Hey ho again for the rolling main,
I’m ‘appy as a lark!
Ho my first ship was a cockleshell,
I painted it bright red,
Away I’d judder, wid me tail as a rudder,
Far o’er the waves I sped,
Then a nice ole whale made me a sail
That helped me to go faster,
So I voyaged free on the deep blue sea,
Wid nobeast for a master!
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Skipper’s dream (p. 70)
Look to the summer,
Watch for the maid,
A young running slave
Who will hold my blade.
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Sung by Memm Flackery and Dibbuns (p. 72)
Summer summer summer sun,
Rumpetty dumpetty dumpetty dum,
See birds a-chirpin’ in the air
An’ bees a-buzzin’ everywhere.
With sun to shine an’ warm my fur,
Oh how could I have a care, a care,
Oh how could I have a care?
Summer summer summer sun,
That’s the time for havin’ fun,
Grasshoppers whirr an’ hop around,
Flowers come shootin’ out the ground,
Butterflies pass without a sound,
As bright long days abound, abound,
As bright long days abound!
Summer summer summer sun,
Can’t catch me ‘cos off I’ll run,
I’ll dash into the stawb’rry patch
An’ every one I see I’ll snatch.
Gobble it up, right down the hatch,
A fine tummyache I’ll catch, I’ll catch,
A fine tummyache I’ll catch!
++++++++++
Sung by Burrl (p. 76)
Young Footlecum Durr, I do declare,
Was a fanciful little shrew.
With waxy grease he curled his fur
An’ wore a greatcoat o’ blue.
His ma was ever so fond of him,
That lest his paws should bruise
She made for him from aspen skin
A brand-new pair of shoes.
Well, pickle my fur, I tell you, sir,
Do you believe the news?
O what to do, a Guosim shrew,
Compin’ about in shoes!
With laces green, the best you’ve seen,
An’ silver bells each end,
He strutted here an’ swaggered there,
An’ jigged about no end
‘Til Footlecum took off his shoes,
An’ paddlin’ went one day.
Then a big old owl, the thievin’ fowl,
Swooped down an’ stole ‘em away.
So now in the night, if you wake in a fright
At a strange sound in the air,
‘Tis only that bird that you have heard
In the shoes of Footlecum Durr.
Too whit too woo, a ding dong clomp,
He’s dancin’ round out there,
Pursued by a shrew, cryin’ out ‘Hey you,
They’re the shoes of Footlecum Durr!’
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Sung by the Seascab’s crew (p. 99-100)
When I was just a young ‘un,
I left me familee,
Wid all that I could steal off ‘em,
I ran away to sea.
An’ me Cap’n cried ‘ooray,
That’s the Freebootin’ way!
I took a course in wickedness,
At plund’rin’ I came first,
I was voted an’ at thievin’,
I was voted best o’ worst.
An’ to anybeast I’ll say,
That’s the Freebootin’ way!
I’ll rob the eyes from out yore ‘ead,
If you ain’t watchin’ me,
An’ anythin’ that ain’t nailed down,
I’ll take with me for free.
Who sez that crime don’t pay?
That’s the Freebootin’ way!
When I rolls in to dinner,
I smiles at all me mates,
I robes ‘em of their grog pots,
An’ vittles off their plates.
An’ if’n they complain I say,
That’s the Freebootin’ way!
If early in the mornin’,
I ‘ears a bluebird sing,
I fixes ‘im ight smartish,
Wid a rock from out me sling.
An’ me shipmates laugh ‘n’ say,
That’s the Freebooters’ Way!
++++++++++
Sung by Dibbuns (p. 110-111)
Mix honey with honey an’ honey in honey,
Get a big pot here an’ pour it on thick,
Honey, fine honey, so golden an’ sunny,
We’ll stir it all up with a green willow stick.
Nod your head wag your tail,
Sup it from pan or pail,
Join up our paws an’ go round in a loop,
Buzz like the bees do to flowers an’ trees,
But fetch me a bowl of good Bumblebee Soup.
Oh, bumblebee, don’t stumble or tumble,
Come out of the flowers now, back to your hives,
Fly back to your home, sir, an’ fill up each comb there,
For granma’s an’ granpa’s an’ babies an’ wives.
Striped all with fluffy down,
Golden an’ furry brown,
Bow to your partner an’ yell a great whoop,
Now form a square, an’ you may find it there,
A bowl of your favourite Bumblebee Soup!
++++++++++
Malbun and Crikulus’s monologue (p. 115-116)
Here be I a searat fierce, an’ this to all I say,
I’m evil, villainous, bad an’ tough,
Let nobeast stand in me way!
I’ve got two paws like iron claws,
Granite teeth an’ steely gaws,
I chopped me ole grandma up fer stew,
An’ I’ll do the same fer you!
I’m a little grannie mouse, frisky as a flea,
An’ I say what ho, this is my motto,
No bullies dare mess with me!
‘Cos though I’m old, I’m feisty an’ bold,
I’ve got twenty-two grandmice too,
I can spank the tail off any of ‘em,
An’ I’ll do the same for you!
Hoho, liddle grannie mouse, scurry off to yore ‘ouse,
Whilst I’m still in a good mood,
I eats a grannie fer brekkist each morn,
‘Cos grannies are my fav’rite food!
I’ll chop off yore tail an’ whiskers,
I’ll whack off yore nose an’ each ear,
Then you’ll be the lunch on which I munch,
Wot think yet of that, me old dear?
Hah, just try an’ eat me, an’ you’ll soon see
Us grannies are tough ole things.
I’ll climb in your mouth an’ pull your teeth out,
Then use your tonsils for swings!
But why should I bother to dirty my paws,
On a sloppy great bully like you?
Here come all my grandmice, ahoy there,
Show this searat a thing or two!
++++++++++
Sung by Raura (p. 126)
‘Tis a far cry from home for a poor lonely thing,
O’er the deeps and wild waters of seas,
Where you can’t hear your dear mother’s voice softly sing
Like a breeze gently stirring the trees.
Come home, little one, wander back here someday,
I’ll watch for you, each evening and morn,
Through all the long season ‘til I’m old and grey
As the frost on the hedges at dawn.
There’s a lantern that shines in my window at night,
I have long kept it burning for you,
It glows through the dark, like a clear guiding light,
And I know someday you’ll see it, too.
So hasten back, little one, or I will soon be gone,
No more to see your dear face,
But I know that I’ll feel your tears fall one by one,
On the flowers o’er my resting place.
++++++++++
(p. 128)
Though she is wrinkled, grey and old,
A mother’s heart is made of gold,
And her smile is like a quiet sunny day,
So hearken to my lonely song,
Don’t stay away from home too long,
There’s nothing crueler than a runaway.
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Sung by a hedgehog farmer (p. 143-144)
My valley is green, the soil is good,
An’ I grows what I please,
All in the spring when birds do sing,
My wife grows flowers like these.
Pepperwort, woodruff, dandelion,
Paleflax, pansy an’ speedwell,
Sweet violet an’ bluebell.
She’s helped by all the busy bees,
An’ I grows what I please!
My valley is green, the soil is good,
With lots of shady trees,
So when the work is done each day,
‘Neath them we take our ease.
Hazel, willow, birch an’ all,
Oak an’ beech an’ elm so tall,
Chestnut, elder, aspen, too,
Make shade for me an’ you.
There’s laurel, lime an’ rowan trees,
‘Neath which to take our ease!
My valley is green, the soil is good,
Our table for to fill,
I plant my fruit an’ veg’tables,
With pride an’ right goodwill.
Lettuce, turnips, carrots, beans,
Leeks an’ scallions, winter greens,
Damsons, plums, an’ apples red,
An’ pears grow overhead.
When we sits down, we eats our fill,
With pride an’ right goodwill!
++++++++++
Sung by hedgehogs (p. 175)
Ahoy, me lads, when I was young,
Many’s the lively song I sung.
Way haul away! Way haul away!
Me paw was strong, me back was, too,
I’d pull a ship from under you.
Way haul away! Way haul away!
An’ though ‘tis not me way t’boast,
I’ve towed a ship off many a coast.
Way haul away! Way haul away!
We pull ‘er to the sandy shores,
So bend yer back, dig in yer paws.
Way haul away! Way haul away!
For when I was a babe so young,
Me mother o’er me cradle sung.
Way haul away! Way haul away!
++++++++++
Sung by Scarum (p. 175)
When I get our ship to the shore,
I’ll need some scoff an’ then lots more.
You can haul away! I’ll just eat all day!
Soup’n’salad, pudden an’ pie,
Just load me plate up, don’t ask why.
Bloomin’ rotten hogs! Scoff-pinchin’ dogs!
++++++++++
Sung by Tazzin, Grubbage, and Prince Bladd (p. 184)
Ho ‘tis nice t’be a villain, wot all honest creatures fears,
An’ terrorise the beasts for miles around.
Their scringin’ wails for mercy is music to me ears,
Aye us bad ‘uns loves to ‘ear that mournful sound!
Lissen, mate, I’m tellin’ you, we’re a dirty desperate crew,
Each wid a cloud o’ flies around ‘is ‘ead.
Filthy Fox an’ Fatty Ferret an’ old Stinky Weasel, too,
We’re enough to fill an ‘onest soul with dread!
Wihhihith derrrread!
Lookit my old matey ‘ere we all calls ‘im Ripper Rat,
Wid no tail, one eye, an’ ‘arf a greasy ear,
Burnt down ‘is granpa’s ‘ouse, now wot do ye think o’ that,
Just because ‘is granny called ‘im ‘er sweet dear!
Sweeeheet deeeeear!
Now you take this bully ‘ere, Scummy Stoat’s ‘is given name,
‘E’s never ‘ad a bath, ‘e’es proud ter say,
‘Til one day far out at sea, ‘e fell in the watery main,
An’ the fishes all jumped out an’ ran away!
Rahaaan awaaaaay!
++++++++++
Sung by Scarum (p. 218-219)
O the life of a handsome young hare is sad,
Jolly sad, believe you me,
With two rotten measly grubswipin’ mates,
He sails the bloomin’ sea.
He’s considered rude if he begs for food,
Tut tut, that’s far too bad.
He’s bossed by an otter who’s nought but a rotter,
An’ a badger well known as a cad!
Sing hey fol dee dee, sail hither an’ there,
Spare a tear for a famished young hare.
If this hare should die, would his comrades cry?
Wot wot, fat chance I’d say,
They’d cook skilly’n’duff, laugh hearty an’ rough,
Scoff pudden an’ chortle all day.
As for that pitiful, starved-to-death chap,
Why, they’d toss him over the side,
Where a rotten great shark, just for a lark,
Would be waitin’ with his mouth open wide!
Sing hey fol dee doh, through storm an’ bad fogs,
Just look at ‘em snoring like hogs.
So all you jolly young handsome hares,
Pay heed to my sad tale.
Beware those blinkin’ bounders who want
To take you for a sail.
They’ll snigger an’ whoop, as your poor ears droop,
An’ make flamin’ insultin’ remarks,
Just bid ‘em farewell, an’ hop into the sea.
You’re far better off with the sharks!
Sing hey fol dee doh, I’ve still got my pride,
So ignore me ‘cos I’ve just died!
++++++++++
(p. 233-234)
O ‘tis marvelous what an education does for a chap,
His eyes light up when he puts on the old thinkin’ cap,
His brain begins to whirr an’ click,
Ideas pour in fast an’ thick,
‘Cos that’s what an education’s for!
If it takes one mole to dig a hole,
Ten seasons and a bit,
How many moles could dig that hole,
If they were fat an’ fit?
Then if two squirrels helped them,
As deep as they could reach,
If those two squirrels made a pair,
The answer is a peach!
That’s what an education does for a chap,
It leaves the blinkin’ duffers in a bit of a flap,
For learnin’ facts you may depend,
One sprouts out answers without end,
So hearken now an’ I’ll astound you more!
If two sparrows had six arrows,
And set out to shoot a duck,
Just how long would it take them,
Before they had some luck?
The answer’s jolly simple,
As clever types will know,
To bag that duck they had no luck,
Because they had no bow!
‘Cos that’s what an education does for a chap,
When learnin’ dawns upon him like a big thunderclap,
As they hear his knowledge flow,
The clods will cheer and shout what ho,
Now that’s what an education’s for!
If I had two an’ you had two,
And she had two as well,
If they had two, just like we two,
The truth to you I’ll tell,
If one knew far too little,
Those facts would be too few,
But if one had education,
One would find the answers, too!
++++++++++
Chanted by Abbot Apodemus (p. 252)
They are gone from the land,
We will see them no longer,
To a place where the fearless ones go.
In the valley of noonshades,
They will meet there to wander,
Where the tranquil green waters do flow.
But oh, their brave memory will rest with us all,
Through the flowers of summer so dear,
Through the winter’s cold winds, after autumn leaves fall,
Lives a home in our hearts for them here.
Their brave lives were lost in the service of others,
They died so that we might live free,
O ye sad grieving friends, O ye fathers and mothers,
Spare a tear as the sun meets the sea!
++++++++++
Sung by Mokug (p. 259-260)
O I caught a fish in the water,
I caught a crab an’ his daughter,
I caught a flounder an’ a sole,
An’ I caught an ole tadpole.
They all criiiiiied,
‘Mercy me, please let us free,
We’ll swim back to our mothers.
My very kind sir, now please be fair,
An’ go an’ catch some others!’
Well, I saw a cod in the water,
Shoved in me net an’ caught ‘er,
I saw a clam, an’ a fluke so fine,
So I caught ‘em on me line.
They all criiiiiied,
‘Mercy me, please let us free,
We’ll swim back to our mothers.
My very kind sir, now please be fair,
An’ go an’ catch some others!’
Farewell they swam off singin’,
‘Til both me ears was ringin’
‘Cos I fell in the sea so dark,
An’ got caught by a shark.
Then I criiiiied,
‘Mercy me, please let me free,
I’ll swim back to me mother.
My very kind sir, now please be fair,
An’ go an’ catch some other!’
++++++++++
Said by Churk (p. 266-267)
Y is a letter, yet why is a word.
Don’t stalk among grass stalks, a stork’s a bird.
I is a letter you can see with your eye.
Can U mean you, or is it just I?
Ask me a riddle and I’ll tell you Y.
Two’s one and one, but there’s to and too.
To understand too, I must tell you
There’s a B and a bee which really should be
Like a letter C, you don’t see in the sea.
I’ll ask you a riddle and you tell me.
For what is four? Only two times two.
I can see you C, oh Y say U?
Is a hare with a hair a him or a her,
Does it eat good fare, and have fur that is fair?
Two pears make one pair, that’s your answer, sir!
++++++++++
Sung by shrews (p. 286-287)
Summer, summer, what a lazy afternoon,
Music, laughter, sun a-waitin’ for the moon,
Twilight, my light, stream is all a-slumber, too,
Babes a-sleepin’, willows weepin’, skies so blue.
Nothin’ like a good ole river,
On a sunny afternoon with you,
Sittin’ in a dear ole logboat,
Plunkin’ out a tune or two.
We’ll sail off to a shady bower,
Kettle will be boilin’ soon,
While we sport an’ play, the livelong day,
An’ sleep beneath a golden moon.
I’ll find a place so filled with mem’ries,
Where the waters kiss the shores,
When yore ma an’ pa ain’t watchin’,
You’ll hold my paw in yours.
Then we’ll have a good ole picnic,
With such nice things to eat,
While the babes all go a-paddlin’
Let’s dance to the ole drum’s beat.
Summer, summer, what a lazy afternoon,
Music, laughter, sun a-waitin’ for the moon,
Twilight, my light, stream is all a-slumber too,
Babes a-sleepin’, willows weepin’, skies so
Blueooooooooooh!
++++++++++
Sung by Scarum (p. 288)
O I don’t wish to be rude,
But the very mention of food,
I sthe nicest word I’ve heard,
Tumpty tumpty tum tum,
Lalalah deedly dee,
I’ve forgotten the next flamin’ word…
++++++++++
Sung by Malbun (p. 297)
When the sun sinks in the west,
Sweet the nightingales do call,,
There’s noplace I love best,
Like the Abbey of Redwall…Redwall!
When the moon does beam in splendour,
See the dew upon the lawn,
Mirror-bright twinkling starlight,
Waiting for the golden dawn.
No foebeast will I fear,
Me and all my good friends here,
Who live within our gates in peace,
For we hold our freedom dear,
And we’ve earned the right to sing,
As long as our Abbey bells may ring…Redwall!
So let others quake and weep
As a stormy night will fall,
While at ease our Dibbuns sleep,
Safe within our Redwall…Redwall!
++++++++++
What’s written on the scroll (p. 298)
Midday sun shines bright for you
Twixt leaning ash and poison gold
Where the greenrock hidden lies
For keen eyes to behold
++++++++++
Sung by Triss (p. 302-303)
Bushes and treetops drifting by,
Fish gliding ‘neath our keel,
Soft and gentle breezes sigh,
‘Tis like a dream made real.
Whirl and gurgle, eddy and flow,
Past carp and dace and bream,
Dragonflies, mayflie, swooping low,
As we sail upon the stream.
Cuckoos call out from the trees,
Bees bumble busily by,
Telling of golden days like thes,
When the sun smiles from the sky.
Some will pole and others row,
Let each one do their best,
Let the waters flow by slow,
Put up your paws and rest.
++++++++++
Sung by Plugg and others (p. 315-316)
Ho plunder, by thunder!
Ain’t nothin’ nice as plunder.
An’ booty, me beauty,
An’ loads o’ loot to boot!
There’s treasure, fine treasure!
Ye can count it at yore leisure.
All those not slayed an’ thrown in graves,
We’ll trade ‘em off as slaves!
Freebooters, we’re looters!
Slingstone an’ arrow shooters.
They sigh now, an’ cry now,
O mercy, woe is me!
Wid cutlass, an’ spears,
We’ll carve off tails an’ ears,
An’ wid full sacks upon our backs,
We deals out blows an’ whacks!
++++++++++
Read and written by Scummy (p. 327-328)
Cap’n Plugg ‘ad a ‘eart o’ gold,
He was good a lootin’ an’ slayin’.
Plugg could lay out some whacks, wid his battle-axe,
An’ laugh, just as if ‘e was playin’.
Aye, but ‘e was like a father to us,
Ain’t a single beast ‘ere can say
They didn’t enjoy a kick from the Cap’n,
Once the Seascab got under way!
But I tell ye, mates, I cried salt tears,
When ‘is tail fell off in me paw,
Robbed of ‘is tail, by a foul sneaky trick,
Far from ‘ome, on some foreign shore.
Whenever I thinks of dear ole Plugg,
The sight’ll haunt me mind,
Of me an’ Grubbage, fixin’ that tail,
Wid sticky stuff, to his be’ind.
But our Cap’n is gone, an’ everyone,
Must curst those ‘orrible snakes,
An’ live in ‘opes, Plugg was tough as ole ropes,
An’ killed ‘em wid stummick aches!
But ‘earken, mates, to the tale o’ pore Bladd,
All fat’n’white, wid pink eyes,
Slayed by a cauldron of oatmeal,
Ain’t that an orful surprise?
Whacked on ‘is royal ‘ead, by a big iron pot,
Bladd liked oatmeal as much as the next,
But not the full lot, served up pipin’ ‘ot,
I’ll bet yer ‘e felt rather vexed!
Aye, Cap’n an’ Prince, we ain’t seen ‘em since,
Wot a sad gloomy story it makes.
One killed at lunchtime by brekkist,
An’ the other et up by snakes!
++++++++++
Said by Scarum (p. 331-332)
My uncle Burdilo was a chap that you’d like to know.
He’d paws like iron an’ a back like oak,
All in all quite a handsome bloke!
They say he scoffed his own weight twice,
In the space of a bloomin’ day,
An’ licked ten time his weight infoes,
At least that’s what they say, hey.
Beefer yoofer arfer deefer, eyefer elfer ho.
That’s how he spelt his name, y’know. My uncle Burdilo!
His eyesight was so jolly good,
Do you know what they say?
He could spot a fly on an apple pie,
A score o’ miles away…even on a foggy day!
So strong and tough a hare he was,
D’you know what he did one day?
He stood in a pail an’ picked it up,
An’ carried himself away, hey.
Beefer yoofer arfer deefer eyefer elfer oh,
That’s how he spelt his name, y’know. My uncle Burdilo!
++++++++++
Recited by Grifty (p. 340-341)
Most trees are old, long-standing friends,
With crowns of leaf and trunks of wood,
Their lives o’er countless seasons span,
And learn from them we should.
Great oak is king of woodlands,
It rules both copse and glade,
To give us acorns from its cups,
Midst wondrous spreading shade.
Bold chestnut, too, has nuts for you,
Some maples’ sap is sweet,
Slim rowan, known as mountain ash,
Bears berries red to eat.
Dark baubles from the elder,
And juniper so fine,
Like fruits of good wild cherry,
Can all be turned to wine.
But other trees are not like these,
Take caution and beware,
Some are born to carry death,
Although they may look fair.
Bright berries of spurge laurel,
Laburnum’s flowers of gold,
And blossoms from a guelder rose,
All beauteous to behold,
But poison is in their nature,
I say to you my friend,
Ignore this timely warning,
And your days will swiftly end!
++++++++++
Sung by Scarum (p. 358)
I’m a one chap regiment,
Don’t y’dare stand in me way,
No Abbey cell could suit me well,
On such a jolly day.
O trampitty tramp I’m marchin’,
Stand fast the Buffs, I sing.
If I had a drum I’d go rumpetty tum,
I’d biff it like anything.
I’m a perilous hare y’know,
Just like me dear old dad,
A word’s as good as a blow, hoho,
Though some may thing me mad…
++++++++++
The Slave’s lot (p. 381)
Bend your back beneath the lash,
Straighten it and feel some more,
Sleep and wake, work and starve,
That is what a slave is for.
Speak in whispers, never smile,
Sever the masters, bow your head.
The only time a slave is free,
Is when that slave is dead.
++++++++++
Sung by Scarum (p. 387-388)
Straighten up those shoulders,
Keep your chins up, chaps,
Step lively in the ranks there,
Don’t ye dare collapse.
I know the road’s been long, sah,
We’ve all been far away,
But smile, ye laggardly, dusty lot,
We’re comin’ home today!
Home! Home! Home!
Wake up the fat ole cook.
Home! Home! Home!
You’ll see it if ye look.
We’ll kiss the babes an’ pretty ones,
Ring out the welcome bell,
An’ if the grub is good enough,
We’ll kiss the cook as well!
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Salute the Colonel, sah,
An’ pin a medal on me chest,
Three ribbons an’ a bar…Hurrah!