We always like to have lyrics here, not just a link.
Freddy posted the link above: http://folk-lyrics.co.uk/Lyrics/BangUponTheBigDrum
BANG UPON THE BIG DRUM
When first I went a soldier,
With pike upon my shoulder,
There wasn't any bolder in the corps boys-oh.
And when I walked abroad,
All the pretty girls would wink at me.
The ladies can't resist a jolly soldier.
CHORUS
Bang upon the big drum
Crash upon the cymbals,
We'll sing as we go marching along boys-oh.
And although on this campaign,
There's no whisky or champagne
Still we'll keep our spirits going with a song boys.
And when we got the route,
And for ……we set out,
With the girlies flocking round us to the dock boys-oh.
So we gave three hearty cheers,
For the pretty little dears,
And we hope that each one gets another soldier.
CHORUS
And now I'll say goodbye,
For I'm feeling rather dry,
And I see a comrade waiting with his song boys-oh.
So here's good luck to all,
And promotion soon and "batter" money,
That's the sort of ticket for a soldier.
From the collection Songs From Hazzards Huzzah
Here's a YouTube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnzaR1158UA
The recording has an additional verse about Afghanistan.