What has to be said about this wonderful song is also - how marvellously it tells the story of our times.

The story of a gentle decent man, living in a society that that had enough spirituality and decency for him to want to fight unquestioningly for it.

And yet, it is a society with secualr and harshly mercantile values. A society, whose judgemental codes and valueing of personal avarice inflict terrible hurt on the man himself and his relationship with his wife.

And the whole thing old with such economy and accuracy.

So much more to do with our lives than the wearisome heyup, I put me pit boots on in 1924, drank a gallon of beer, and packed me snap tin..........etc!