Chords for The Soldier

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[C] _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ [C] _ _
[F] _ _ _ In a station in the city [C] a pretty soldier stood _ Talking to the people [F] there, if the
people would Some just stared in hatred, [C] others stared in
pain And the lonely pretty soldier [F] wished he was
back home again [Bb] Join the British Army [F] said the posters in
the town [Gm] See the [C] world and have your [F] fun, come stand
before the crown [Bb] The offer hard to come by [F] and he could not
face it all [Gm] So he took his [C] country's shilling [F] and left
it on the road There was no fear of fighting, [C] the empire long
at war _ Ten years in the army [F] getting paid for being
boss They needed inexperienced [C] men who made the
grade A medal and a pension, [F] some men who sent
the trade Then came the call to Ireland [C] as the call had
come before Another bloody chapter [F] in an endless civil
war The priestly stood on both sides, [C] the priestly
stood behind _ Another fight in Jesus' [F] name, the blind
against the blind [Bb] So he stood between them, [F] between the whistling
stone [G] And then the [C] broken bottle [F] had lain the broken
bone [Bb] Petrol bomb that burned his [F] hand, the nail
that pierced his skin [Gm] And he wished that [C] he had stayed at [F] home
Surrounded by his king, station filled with people [C] so he stood
before Hetter and the station [F] at Purple Wall Room filled up with mothers, [C] with daughters
and a son Who stared with itchy fingers [F] at the soldier
and his gun And then the fierce screeching [C] breaks, the
shattering of glass The window of the station [F] group that fled
the package passed A scream came from the mothers [C] as they ran
towards the door Tracking children crying [F] from the bomb upon
the floor The soldier stood, he could not [C] move his gun,
he could not choose He knew the bomb had seconds [F] and not minutes
on the fuse He could not run to pick it up [C] and throw it
in the street There's far too many people here, [F] too many
running feasts [Bb] God will yell to soldier, [F] take cover for your
lives [Gm] But the [C] Irishmen threw down their [F] young and
stood before their wives [Bb] They turned towards the soldier, [F] their eyes
alive with fear [Gm] For God's sake [C] save our children or [F] they'll
spend their short lives here The soldier moved towards the bomb, [C] stomach
like a stone Why is this battle [F] gone, why he alone?
He lay down on the package [C] and murmured one farewell
To those back home in England, [F] to those he loved so well
Saw the nights of summer, [C] felt the wind upon his brow
Young girls in the city park, [F] how precious were they now
The soaring of the swallow [C] and the beauty of the swan
The music of the turning girls, [F] who'd sing with it be gone
At the puddles of explosion, [C] the loom began to quake
The soldier thrown across the floor, [F] his blood a crimson lake
They never heard him cry or shout, [C] they never heard him moan
It turned the children's faces from [F] the blood into the bone
[Bb] Crowd outside soon gathered [F] and the ambulance came
[G] And carried [C] all the bodies [F] from a palace to the gate
[Bb] Crowd eclapsed and cheered [F] and sang the rebel songs
[Gm] One soldier less [C] to interfere [F] where he did not belong
[Bb] And will the children growing up [F] learn at their mother's knee
[Gm] The story [C] of the soldier [F] who fought their liberty
[Bb] He used his youthful body [F] as means towards the end
[Gm] Who gave his life [C] to those who [F] called him were not friends _ _ _ _
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